Emotions
by Sassytore
Summary: Damon and Elena are the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. Read as our favorite couple experience those emotions together. A collection of Delena one-shots. Each chapter has a theme of a different emotion. Taking requests. Each installment is rated either T or M.
1. Need

**Emotions**

**Installment 1: Need**

**Description: Damon's feeling weak and comes to the one person he can trust to help him. How does she handle the situation?**

**Context: Late season 3 fic. AU where the motel scene in Denver never happened.**

**Rating: T**

The night was cold: snow was swirling in a white haze outside of Elena's window. Elena was curled up in her bed, wrapped in her comforter, sleeping peacefully. She hadn't slept peacefully in so long, but the cold outside contrasting to the warmth of her bed made her feel genuinely calm. She was having a dreamless sleep, until a cold wave of air rushed into the room, making her shiver.

Elena slowly opened her eyes. A soft _clunk _came from behind her. Fear quickly struck her; she remained as still as she possibly could, assessing the situation from her position. Another _clunk_ sounded, followed by a whispered, "shit!"

Elena furrowed her brow at the whisper—she recognized that voice. Elena pursed her lips and rolled her eyes before turning over to face the intruder.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Elena asked, faking annoyance. In reality, her heart jumped to her throat at the sight of him.

Damon was straddling her windowsill: one black jean clad leg on her floor and the other dangling out the window. He was trying to duck under the window, but instead, he hit his head on the glass. He was obviously very drunk.

"I—I need talk—talk to you, 'Lena," Damon slurred, trying once more to slip into the room. His foot caught on the side of the house and he began falling into her room. Elena quickly jumped from her bed and ran over to catch Damon before he collided with the floor. The contact would've made a loud sound that would've definitely woken up Alaric and Jeremy.

"Damon, come on. You're dragging snow all over the place."

"Sorry," Damon mumbled. Elena sighed and helped him stand up. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they walked over to her bed. Elena helped Damon down to her bed and kneeled in front of him, taking one of his shoes in her hand. She began to undo his shoelaces.

"What's wrong with you?" Elena asked. Damon shook his head and fell back on her bed. Elena grunted in annoyance and finished taking his shoes off. She picked up his legs and helped him under the covers. She crawled in next to him and faced him.

Damon opened his beautiful blue eyes and stared at Elena. She tried to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat and the way her breath seemed to leave her body.

"I'm a little drunk," Damon mumbled.

"I noticed."

"Where's Stefan?"

"At your house probably," Elena whispered.

"I thought he'd be with you."

"No."

A silence fell across the room as Elena's words sunk into Damon's skin. After a moment and without any warning, Damon wrapped his arms around Elena's waist and placed his head on her chest. He inhaled deeply, loving the way her lavender scent overwhelmed his whole being and calmed him.

Elena hesitated. She knew that she shouldn't let Damon get this close to her—she just began repairing things with Stefan, and Damon was an addicting toxin. She kept her arms at her sides before slowly returned his hug. She hated how content and bubbly she felt in his arms. Elena pressed her cheek to the crown of Damon's head and closed her eyes.

"Why?" Damon slurred. His breath tickled the bare skin of her neck.

"Why what?" Elena asked.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I care about you, Damon," Elena whispered.

She draped her leg over Damon's legs and entwined her fingers in his hair. It was unnerving, seeing Damon like this. She had always seen him as a stronghold, impossible to break. Unfortunately, she knew his soul was already broken.

"But you love Stefan," Damon mumbled. Elena tensed up at his words.

"Uh," she whispered hesitantly.

"You love Stefan, Elena, it's okay. I get it. It'll always be my baby brother."

"Is that what's got you down?" Elena asked, suddenly upset at his fatalistic attitude. "The fact that Stefan's back to normal?"

"No," Damon insisted, pulling away from Elena slightly so he could make eye contact with her. He was sobering up quickly—the beauty of being a vampire. "I'm glad that my brother is back on the Bambi wagon; I'm upset that you are going to throw away everything we've created this year because he's back."

"What do you think we've created?" Elena asked with bubbling anger. Only Damon could pull such a sudden reaction from her. "We're not together, Damon! We've never been together."

Elena watched as Damon's previously soft eyes turned hard and dark and she instantly regretted her words.

"Stop pretending that you don't feel anything for me, Elena," Damon said bluntly. "I see the way you react to me… how you get goose bumps when I do this…" he whispered, removing his arm from around her waist and trailing his fingers up her arm; Elena shivered, "…how your heartbeat quickens when I do this…" Damon placed his hand over her heart and surely enough, her heartbeat began to race. Damon flashed a smug smirk and she rolled her eyes. She was getting flustered. "Or how I can take your breath away just by touching you here." Damon placed his hand on her cheek and Elena inhaled deeply.

"Damon…" Elena whispered hesitantly, trying to find the strength to push him off, force him out of her bed, send him home, but she couldn't.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that there's nothing between us," Damon whispered. Elena inhaled deeply and stared into his cobalt eyes. She knew the words, but she couldn't say them. She couldn't lie, but she couldn't hurt Stefan like that either. Elena sighed and rolled over onto her back, untangling herself from Damon.

"I know there's something between us," Elena admitted. "But nothing can happen."

"Because of Stefan?"

"Yes, because of Stefan." Elena responded. She turned over onto her side to face Damon again. Her eyes instinctively drifted to his lips. They were hypnotic, screaming at her.

"Tell me what you want, Elena. Don't think about it, just tell me. What do you want right now?"

"I want you to kiss me," Elena admitted without thinking. The moment the words fell from her mouth, she knew that there was no going back. Damon's lips twitched up into a little smile; Elena watched the movement and bit her bottom lip. Her body was humming in anticipation. She wanted him to kiss her. Her morals were slowly disappearing the longer he stared at her. She began to convince herself that maybe kissing Damon once would get him out of her system.

"Okay," he whispered, leaning in. Elena's heartbeat thundered in her chest. She could feel his warm breath on her face. Damon hovered above her lips for a while, torturing her with the tension. Elena's breathing picked up. She needed to feel his lips on hers.

Damon inched a little closer. Elena placed her hand on his bicep, urging him forward. Damon smirked at her and pulled back slightly. Elena grunted, unable to take it any longer. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her lips.

Damon let out a little grunt and Elena let out a whimper as their lips connected. The pure satisfaction and need that coursed through them was electric. Months of pent up sexual tension hit them full force.

Elena opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Damon tongue slipped between her lips and she moaned at the taste of him. She could still taste the alcohol on his breath, but it was oddly appealing. Elena pushed Damon off of her and quickly began unbuttoning his shirt. Damon smirked and let her peel his shirt off. She threw it to the floor and pulled him back to her lips.

Damon kissed her feverishly. Her skin was heating up, allowing for the perfect contrast to Damon's cold skin.

Damon grabbed the hem of her PJ shirt and ripped it off her body. His hands explored the length of her torso and Elena shivered at the contact. Damon dropped his head to her neck and began sucking and kissing the skin there.

"Damon…" Elena whispered breathlessly.

"Elena…" Damon whispered against her skin.

"Damon, we shouldn't do this," Elena said, but her body language said the opposite: she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him flush to her body.

"Oh, we shouldn't?" Damon asked with a playful growl. He nipped Elena on the clavicle and Elena let out a loud squeal and giggle. Damon chuckled and kissed her lips again. Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer to her.

Elena and Damon were so lost in their own little world that they almost didn't notice Elena's bedroom door opening suddenly.

"Elena!? Are you okay?!" Jeremy asked worriedly.

Elena practically jumped out of her own skin. She pushed Damon off of her and grabbed the blanket on her bed, wrapping it around her bare torso. She looked up at Jeremy with a guilty expression.

Jeremy stood at the doorway. His eyes switched between Damon and Elena, then back to Damon again. He narrowed his eyes at Damon, obviously thinking that Damon hurt Elena. But then, his eyes dropped to the discarded clothing littering the floor.

"What's going on in here?" Jeremy demanded. Elena buried her face in her knees in embarrassment.

"Well, that's my cue to leave," Damon said, casually standing up and grabbing his shirt. He turned back to Elena and bent down, kissing her on the back of her head before standing up and looking at the traumatized Jeremy. "Good to see you, little Gilbert." Damon said before walking over to the window and disappearing out it.

Elena looked up slowly and made eye contact with Jeremy. They stared at each other for a second before Jeremy spoke up:

"What the hell, Elena?"

**A/N: Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Also, feel free to submit suggestions for the next emotion that Delena will experience together and whatever rating you want that chapter to be. I have no problem writing T-M. Just leave it in the reviews and thanks for reading!**


	2. Anger

**Emotions**

**Installment 2: Anger**

**Description: It seems like Damon and Elena are always fighting about something. If there's one thing Damon and Elena are consistent about, it's passion. What happens when fighting just isn't enough to quench their fire this time?**

**Context: AU early season 3 fic.**

**Rating: M for cussing and _smut!_**

Jeremy strolled into the Salvatore boarding house after a long school day. He heard the soft mumbling of his friends in the living room and quickly walked into the room, throwing his backpack down on the floor before joining the group. They were sitting on the ground around the coffee table. On the table rested a big pile of ones, fives, and ten dollar bills.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Jeremy asked.

"Hey, Jer! Come join us! We're betting!" Bonnie said excitedly. Jeremy smiled and sat down next to her. He looked around at the faces of Matt, Caroline, and Tyler. Caroline was neatly organizing the money on the table.

"What's the bet?" Jeremy asked.

"Thirty dollars. It's split. Matt and Tyler think that Damon and Elena won't be fighting when they come back, Bonnie and I think the opposite," Caroline explained. "Wanna join?"

"Oh yeah," Jeremy said, pulling thirty dollars out of his pocket and placing it in the pile, "I'm with you and Bonnie." Caroline and Bonnie smiled smugly at Jeremy.

"That's because we're right," Bonnie insisted, leaning back against the couch. "Now, we wait."

Almost on cue, the front door opened, followed by heavy footsteps, followed by a violent slamming of the door.

"Don't you ever just listen?!" Damon's angry voice sounded from the hallway.

"I would've listened, but you didn't even tell me in the first place! Dammit, Damon?! What do you expect me to do?! Sit back and relax?! I want to bring back Stefan and you're keeping things from me!" Elena responded.

"We'll take that money now," Caroline said smugly, reaching over to the pile of cash and beginning to distribute it into three equal piles. Tyler and Matt brandished a look of disappointment.

"It was an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere, possibly filled with an Original Hybrid and your ripper ex-boyfriend out for blood, and your solution is to run into it completely unprotected?!" Damon shouted.

"I wasn't unprotected, I had Ric."

"Ric is nothing but a human blood bag to those two! You're lucky I got there in time to save your ass!"

The shouting continued as Damon and Elena's angry footsteps headed in the direction of the living room where their friends' resided.

"Whatever, Damon! That doesn't change the fact that you kept this lead from me in the first place!" Elena exclaimed. She appeared around the corner and stormed into the living room with complete disregard for the group gathered around the coffee table. She threw her jacket, purse, and car keys down onto the couch. Damon followed her into the room and grabbed a glass tumbler and a bottle of bourbon.

"I kept it from you so you wouldn't go and do something stupid, which you did, might I add," Damon said, lifting his glass up in mock cheers.

Elena narrowed her eyes at him. He flashed her his smug smirk which only served to boil Elena's blood. Elena shook her head and scoffed. She abruptly marched up to Damon, grabbed the glass from his hand, and threw it against the wall. The glass shattered and fell to the ground in shards. Everyone in the room jumped at the loud _crash_.

Damon narrowed his eyes predatorily at Elena. Caroline noticed the change in Damon and decided it was time to intervene. She stood up and walked over to Damon and Elena who were still glaring at each other.

"Okaaayyyy, it's time to calm down now," Caroline insisted. She placed one hand on Damon's shoulder and one on Elena's and tried to pry them apart, but they both brushed her hand off.

"I'm sick of you lying to me, Damon," Elena hissed.

"I'm sick of you trying to be the martyr, Elena," Damon hissed back. They stared at each other in boiling tension for a few minutes before Elena rolled her eyes at him and stormed off to the library. Damon watched her go and sighed audibly before turning his attention to the group around the coffee table.

"What are you doing here?" he asked rudely.

"We came to check in on the lead," Caroline said with a bite in her tone.

"Yeah, well it was a dead end, so you can leave now," Damon said with a sarcastic smile.

"Okay, let me just get Elena—," Caroline began.

"No," Damon interrupted. "I'll take care of Elena, you can all just go." And with those final words, Damon disappeared down the hallway after Elena.

Caroline sighed and turned back to the group. A silence fell over the room.

"Are we actually leaving?" Matt asked after a moment.

"Oh God, no," Caroline said with a laugh. "We're not leaving until we get all the juicy details from those two."

Caroline sauntered over to the group and sat down on the couch. A silence fell across the room as Caroline tuned into her vampire-hearing to eavesdrop on Damon and Elena.

Damon walked into the library and shut the door softly behind him. Elena was sitting on the couch facing the large window. Her back was to Damon, but she knew he was there.

"I'm just worried about him," Elena said softly. Damon sighed and walked over to the couch. He sat down next to her and stared out the window with her.

"I know. I am too," Damon admitted.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Caroline was listening in intently while the rest watched on in silence.

"Why are they arguing so much recently?" Tyler asked, finally breaking the silence and Caroline's concentration. The group all gave Tyler sarcastic looks, and he explained further, "I mean, I know they've never really gotten along…it just seems like they're arguing more than usual lately."

"I don't know. Maybe Stefan being gone has them on edge," Bonnie suggested.

"Oh don't be ridiculous," Caroline interjected. Everyone looked at her with confusion. She continued, "the problem isn't the fact that they're trying to bring Stefan back, or whatever petty thing they're always getting on each other about…the problem is that they have a lot of pent up frustration and they don't know how to handle it." Jeremy cocked his head to the side and gave Caroline a blank look. She exhaled deeply before coming straight out with it, "the problem is that they want to screw, but they're not screwing!"

Caroline watched as everyone's jaw dropped, but she simply shrugged in response. She didn't like the fact that Elena had the hots for Damon, but she couldn't deny it either. She returned to her eavesdropping.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you," Elena said with a sigh. "It's just, sometimes you drive me so crazy!" Elena declared, burying her face in her hands.

"Yeah, well, it's not only you," Damon said with a little chuckle, but Elena barely heard him. It felt like her skin was on fire—she was still so riled up. She stood up abruptly and turned to face Damon.

"Everything you do, Damon! I mean, literally EVERYTHING you do pisses me off!" Elena exclaimed. She began pacing the length of the couch and Damon stood up defensively.

"Everything I do pisses you off?! How about you, Elena?! You're the worst!" Damon shouted back.

"The way you lie to me! The way you recklessly make terrible decisions!" Elena was pacing angrily, running her fingers through her hair. The more she thought about it, the more upset she got.

"I make terrible decisions?! I make _realistic_ decisions that work! You're the one who's always screwing things up!" Damon declared, but it was obvious that Elena wasn't listening to him. She was in a blind fit of rage.

"The way you _fucking_ look at me," Elena shouted, stopping in front of Damon so she could yell at him to his face, "like I'm the only woman in the goddamn world drives me fucking insane, Damon, and it needs to stop before I do something I'll regret!" Elena finished her rant and stood still in front of Damon, breathing heavily.

Damon's jaw practically dropped to the floor at Elena's confession.

She didn't even register the words she said before she said them; she was just as shocked as he was. They both stood there for a while, staring intently at each other and breathing heavily. The tension between them was palpable; Elena had no idea what to do with her body. Damon, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do.

Damon abruptly reached forward and cradled Elena's face in his hands, pulling her into a feverish kiss. Elena responded instantly, wrapping her arms around Damon's neck. Damon grunted against her lips and picked her up by the thighs. Elena wrapped her legs around Damon's waist and Damon backed her up against the nearest bookcase. The bookcase rattled at the contact, causing for a plethora of books to fall from the top shelf.

"Oh God!" Caroline exclaimed with a squeal. She quickly began gathering her things from the ground: purse, jacket, car keys, school bag.

"Car? What's wrong?" Tyler asked, jumping up with her.

"It's time for us to go," Caroline said.

"What's up?" Jeremy insisted, sitting up and grabbing his backpack.

"I guess I was right about that whole 'wanting to screw' thing," Caroline said with a fake gag.

"Oh God, I did not need to know that," Jeremy groaned. Caroline nodded her head in agreement with him. Once she had all her stuff, she practically ran out of the boarding house, followed closely by the rest of her friends.

Elena moaned into Damon's mouth; she never knew someone could taste so heavenly. Damon pulled Elena back from the bookcase and spun her around, pinning her to the ground. His mouth dropped to her jawline and he began kissing and licking down her cleavage. Elena felt like she had discovered nirvana in Damon's touch. It felt like he was kissing every nerve in her body—her skin was on fire.

Damon ripped open Elena's blouse, revealing her heaving breasts. She didn't wear a bra today, and she couldn't be happier about that. The passion between the two of them was palpable—they couldn't get enough, they needed more. Damon twirled his tongue around her pebbled rosebud before sucking on her nipple. He kneaded her other breast while occasionally twisting her nipple between his thumb and pointer finger. Elena threw her head back and moaned.

Damon was getting hard. His erection was nestled in between Elena's thighs, and it was driving her absolutely crazy. She _needed _him in her.

"Damon, please," Elena whimpered, reaching down to cup his erection. Damon grunted and ground his big hard-on against her small hand. "Please," she begged one more time. Damon nodded and leaned back, freeing himself from his jeans. Elena gaped at the size of him fully erect. They both knew this would be fast.

After coming to terms with his size, Elena sat up and slipped her panties off her legs. Damon growled lustfully at her and grabbed her hips, pushing her skirt up to her waist. He blanketed her body with his own and positioned himself at her entrance.

Elena placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him softly. She opened her legs wider for him. Damon didn't need any more urging. He thrust up into her hard, filling her completely. Elena let out a scream of pleasure the moment their bodies connected. Damon and Elena opened their eyes, locking cobalt blue with chocolate brown.

"Move," Elena begged. Damon began thrusting into her at a slow speed, but his thrusts started to pick up. She felt so good—like a tight glove around his dick. She wasn't quiet—she was letting out loud moans with each thrust.

"Mmm, Elena," Damon grunted, tapping into vampire speed. He caught one of her bouncing breasts in his hand as he rode her.

"I—I'm close," Elena whimpered. Damon grunted into her ear, pounding into her deeper and harder.

Elena came quickly, riding out waves of pleasure around Damon's cock. Damon came with her, spilling his seed inside her as he shuddered from pleasure.

As they came down from their high, Damon pressed his forehead to Elena's, breathing heavily. He locked eyes with hers and whispered:

"Finally."

Elena let out a little giggle and smiled up at him.

"Finally," she agreed.

**A/N: Let me know what you thought of this second one-shot of the collection in the reviews! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :D**


	3. Jealousy

**Emotions**

**Installment 3: Jealousy**

**Description: Elena's sick of being confused about her feelings for Damon, so she decides to take a load off. She ventures to a bar just outside of Mystic Falls, searching for a fun time and maybe a hookup...anything to get her mind off of Damon. Little does she know, the vampire that has been haunting her dreams also decided to unload at the same bar, and he doesn't like watching Elena with other men...not one bit.**

**Context: Post season 3 episode 19 fic. Thanks to DelenaForever93 for the request, I hope I did it justice! :)**

**Rating: T**

Damon leaned against the bar and raised his hand to call the bartender over to him. She was tall and blonde with gentle blue eyes. Damon would be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to her, but she didn't compare to Elena…not even remotely. Damon shook his head: he didn't want to think about Elena right now—that's why he went to a bar just outside of Mystic Falls instead of the Grille, no chance of running into the brunette vixen.

"What can I get ya, handsome?" the bartender asked with a wink. Damon flashed her a flirtatious smile.

"Bourbon on the rocks," he purred. The bartender smirked at him and made him his drink. She handed it to him. "Thanks, sweetheart."

Damon winked at her and watched as blush crawled across her cheeks. He raised the glass to his lips proudly: he loved the reaction he could elicit from women.

Damon was on his second glass when the bar door opened and Elena emerged. Damon's jaw dropped at the sight of her. He was surprised to see her at all; he was even more surprised to see her like this. Elena was wearing tight black leggings that showed off the curve of her hips, a long hot black tank top that hung low, exposing the perfect amount of cleavage. Her looks could kill.

Elena scanned the length of the bar; Damon followed her eyes and quickly shrunk back into the shadows before she saw him. Luckily for him, she didn't.

Elena sighed and walked over to the opposite side of the bar. She sat down on a stool and crossed her long legs. The same bartender that tended Damon approached her.

"What can I get ya?" she asked.

"A dirty martini would be great, thanks," Elena replied.

"ID?" the bartender asked. Elena nodded and pulled out her wallet, showing the bartender a fake ID. The bartender nodded and made her the martini, placing it in front of her before walking away.

"So, you're a dirty girl?" a masculine voice sounded from behind Elena. Elena turned around to face a tall man with medium length brown hair. He was attractive in a rugged way. Damon watched the man and Elena closely.

"Well, clean is so much more boring," Elena said flirtatiously. Damon's eyes widened at her response; it seemed too naughty for goody two-shoes Elena Gilbert to say. The man chuckled at her.

"May I?" he asked, pointing to the stool next to her.

"Please," Elena responded. Damon bit his bottom lip in anger as jealousy rushed through his body. He hated this—watching Elena flirt with another man. The man sat down next to Elena and offered her his hand.

"I'm Allen," he greeted.

"Elena," she responded, taking his hand. Allen lifted her hand to his lips and left a soft kiss there.

"Agh, seriously?" Damon mumbled to himself before taking a large swig of bourbon. The bartender approached Damon and refilled his glass, but before she could walk away, Damon placed his hand on her wrist and looked up at her, using his compulsion. "I'll be taking this," he said, stealing the bottle of bourbon. She nodded numbly and walked away from him. Damon turned his attention back to Elena and Allen.

"So, Elena, what's your story?" Allen asked.

"My story?" Elena asked with a giggle that churned Damon's gut.

"Yeah, what brings you to this dank bar dressed like a million bucks?" Allen asked, brushing a strand of Elena's hair from her eyes. Damon instinctively let out a growl. Allen continued, "Did someone break your heart?"

"Mmm, no, I wouldn't say that," Elena said, taking a sip. Damon narrowed his eyes at her, eager to hear her explanation. "Let's just say I'm facing some boy drama that I am ready to rid myself of."

"Oooh, what drama, if I may ask?" Allen asked, taking a swig from his beer. Damon growled again and threw back his glass of bourbon; this guy was really getting on his nerves.

"Well, my boyfriend and I broke up recently," Elena began.

"So, it is heartbreak?" Allen interrupted.

"No, not quite. I've come to terms with the breakup…the problem is his brother," Elena declared. Damon's ears perked up.

"Asshole?" Allen asked. Elena laughed and nodded her head exaggeratedly.

"Yes, total asshole, but that's not the issue," Elena responded, twirling a piece of hair around her finger and not making eye contact with Allen. "I sorta made out with him a couple times."

"Oh, ouch," Allen said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Elena said, laughing with him. "I'm just done with the drama, ya know? I'm done with the Salvatore brothers'." Damon ground his teeth. He watched as Elena downed the rest of her drink and Allen called over the bartender for a refill. The bartender obliged and Elena started sipping from it.

"So, are you in love with him?" Allen asked. Elena stopped drinking mid-sip and her eyes widened. Damon leaned forward in anticipation. Elena slowly lowered her glass to the bar and looked up at Allen.

"So Allen, you never told me your story," Elena said, changing the subject. Damon sighed and fell back in his seat.

"My story is pretty straight forward. I came to the bar tonight looking for a good time, I saw a drop dead gorgeous girl, and now I'm kinda wondering if she could give me that good time I've been looking for," Allen said, flirtatiously touching Elena's shoulder. Damon tightened his grip on his glass and sat up in his seat again. Elena downed the rest of her martini and giggled at Allen. Damon bit his bottom lip so hard that it drew blood; he could tell that Elena was very tipsy. Her tolerance level was very low; Damon knew that better than anyone. Allen leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "So, what do you say we go back to my place?"

_Okay, that's it_, Damon thought, downing his glass of bourbon and standing up. He sauntered over to Elena and Allen and stood directly behind Elena, glaring at Allen with his most intimidating face.

Allen pulled back from Elena and looked up at Damon. Damon flashed him a somewhat-psychotic toothy grin.

"Well, hello there," Damon said. Elena tensed up at the sound of his voice. Damon internally congratulated himself for pulling such a reaction from her.

"Damon," Elena said, twirling around in her stool to face the black-haired, blue-eyed vampire that has haunted her for a year and a half.

"Fancy seeing you here, Elena. Aren't you a little young to be frequenting this bar?" Damon asked.

"Aren't you a little old?" Elena remarked, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Touché. Would you care to introduce me to your little friend?" Damon asked. Elena narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm Allen," Allen interjected, outstretching his hand to Damon. Damon just glared at his hand, making Allen retract it. "And you are?" Allen asked, suddenly defensive.

"I'm Damon, the elder and more attractive Salvatore," Damon said.

"Salvatore?" Allen asked, looking to Elena. "As in the brother you made out with?" Elena sighed audibly and face-palmed, whereas Damon brandished a smug smirk.

"Yeah, that'd be me," Damon answered. He leaned down until he was eyelevel with Allen. "And that girl you're hitting on? I look after her and I know your type. You cannot take advantage of her. If you so much as try, you'll be answering to me." Damon cocked his head to the side and smirked before continuing, "Now forget you ever met Elena and go home."

"Really, Damon? Compulsion?" Elena asked with annoyance.

Damon grabbed Elena by the arm and started pulling her away from the bar, leaving a disappointed Allen in their wake.

"Come on, Princess. Time to go home."

"I don't want to go home," Elena declared, pulling from his grip. Damon turned on her and sighed with frustration.

"Elena, you're drunk, and frankly, it's unattractive," Damon said, grabbing her by the arm again and dragging her out of the bar and into the parking lot. Elena pulled from his grip again.

"I'm not drunk!" she exclaimed.

"Really?!" Damon exclaimed. "Because only drunk-Elena would be stupid enough to flirt with that creep!"

"Ohhh, so that's it," Elena said, nodding her head. She scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're jealous."

Elena knew that she should feel disgusted by his jealousy, but in reality, she sorta loved it—it meant that he cared.

"Please? Of that loser?" Damon asked, faking a laugh. "Do you even know me?"

"Yeah, okay Damon, thanks for the 'save' or whatever, but you can go now," Elena said. She turned around and tried walking away from him, but he caught her by the arm and forced her to look at him. Elena grunted, trying to look as annoyed as possible, but she couldn't deny the tingles that erupted across her skin at the contact.

"You're not going back in there," Damon said with a somewhat threatening tone.

"Watch me," Elena replied. Damon inhaled deeply and shook his head.

"Don't make me throw you over my shoulder and haul you into my car," Damon threatened.

"You're pathetic," Elena spat out with a scoff.

"I'm pathetic?!" Damon exclaimed. The jealousy was just fueling his anger. "You're the one who came here, got wasted, and started flirting with creepy guys, all because of…what? You're 'done with the drama?' Grow up, Elena!"

"Don't you dare tell me to grow up! You have no idea what I'm dealing with!" Elena shouted.

"Sure Elena, whatever you say. Let's go. Stefan's probably wondering where we are," Damon said dismissively. His dismissal just fueled Elena's anger.

"Screw Stefan!" Elena shouted without thinking. Damon froze and stopped trying to usher Elena into the car. Instead, he cocked his head to the side and stared her down. Never in a million years did Damon think he would ever hear Elena exclaim those two words.

"What—?" Damon began.

"I just—," Elena sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "How can I still love Stefan after he almost drove me off of Wickery Bridge?" Elena declared. Damon watched on in silence, completely unaware and unsuspecting to her thought process, but he was damn curious. Elena, clouded by the alcohol and the pain of her recent relationship trauma, continued, "How can I still love Stefan after this summer? After how close you and I have gotten? After we kiss...?" Elena paused, looking up to meet Damon's eyes. Damon's mouth was slightly parted in shock; his eyes watched her with curiosity. He was scared to speak, scared that she'd stop herself if he did speak. Elena inhaled deeply, "…after I—," Elena choked on her words. A silence fell as Damon waited in anticipation.

After a moment, Damon let out a little whisper, urging her on: "After you?"

Elena looked at her feet. It took her a while, but she was finally coming to terms with everything she'd been feeling for a long time. She knew that she couldn't wait any longer.

"How can I still love Stefan," Elena said softly, "after I've fallen in love with _you_, Damon?" Elena looked up to watch Damon's emotions crawl across his gorgeous features—she watched his shock turn to denial, turn to confusion, turn back to shock, before finally turning to something she hadn't seen on him in a while…pure joy. A small smile flitted across Elena's cheeks. Now that she had said the words, she completely realized just how _right_ they felt. "I love you, Damon," Elena whispered.

Damon was at a loss for words—this moment was too surreal. So, instead, he responded by closing the gap between them and pulling her into a kiss.

The moment their lips connected, it felt like time slowed down, it felt like the universe was controlled by only Damon and Elena and their love. Elena moaned and parted her mouth, allowing for their tongues to collide in a fury of passion. Elena had never felt so free before—her denial had been suffocating her for months and she hadn't even noticed it.

Damon broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to Elena's.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. Elena smiled giddily—her heart was soaring. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Elena said with a little laugh. She pecked him on the lips. Damon smiled down on her.

"Come on," Damon said, placing his arm around her shoulder and ushering her towards his Camaro.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked, looking up at Damon. Damon met her eyes and smiled at her before pecking her on the lips one more time.

"Home," he said.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought in the reviews! I'm taking requests and I'll try to get to all of them, just leave me an emotion and as much/as little detail you want to give me to get me started. Hope you all enjoyed this update. :)**


	4. Searing

**Emotions**

**Installment 4: Searing**

**Description: Damon comes to wish Elena a happy birthday, and his wishes are far from innocent.**

**Context: Season 3 fic. Thanks to XxInsanity With a SmilexX for the request. I interpreted 'searing' to mean 'burning intensity.' I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Rating: M for _smut!_**

It was Elena's eighteenth birthday and she was sitting cross-legged on her bed, sifting through a pile of dresses. Caroline promised her a party tonight and Elena promised to show up dressed up. Elena didn't really feel like partying tonight; Stefan being gone had really brought her down, but she'd do as Caroline asked because she didn't want to bring her friends down with her.

Speaking of Caroline, her along with Bonnie, Tyler, Jeremy, and Matt were all waiting downstairs for Elena. Elena could hear the soft rumbling of their voices in the kitchen; they were extremely preoccupied with whatever they were doing.

Elena picked up a lacey white dress and examined it closely before sighing and throwing it back on her bed. She fell back against her pillows and closed her eyes. Her life had been so stressful recently: what with school, Stefan being gone, and Damon…oh Damon. He was the real problem that made her lose sleep at night, or rather, her feelings for him were the problem. Elena's thoughts were interrupted by a sound behind her.

Elena jolted up in her bed at the sound. She turned around to find Damon standing in front of the window. Elena furrowed her brow at him and opened her mouth to speak, but before words could fall out, Damon gracefully rushed over to Elena and clapped his hand over her mouth.

Elena cocked her head to the side. Damon pointed to his ear and then pointed to the ground, indicating that Caroline could hear them talking. Elena nodded her head in understanding and Damon slowly lifted his hand from her lips.

"What are you doing here?" Elena mouthed silently.

Damon stared at her in silence for a moment—his cobalt blue eyes were burning with a fire that scorched Elena just by looking at her. The mere look in his eyes was enough to make her heartbeat race and her legs feel weak. Damon scooted closer to Elena and began leaning in. Heat rushed across Elena's skin as Damon came closer to her—she had no idea what this unpredictable vampire was going to do.

Damon hovered over her lips; she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin, she could practically taste the bourbon of his lips—her breathing spiked. Damon ran his tongue across his bottom lip before moving slightly to the left and hovering over her ear.

"I came to give you your birthday present," Damon whispered extremely softly. His hot breath tickled the skin of Elena's neck and she shivered. She gulped in an attempt to regain her composure.

"You couldn't just wait to give it to me like everyone else?" Elena whispered back, praying her voice didn't deceive her. She internally damned Damon and his sexual prowess.

"This isn't something that can be given in public," Damon whispered seductively. Elena gulped at his words—her body hummed with desire. Damon dropped his head to her jawline and began to leave gentle kisses on the skin there. Elena's eyelids fluttered closed and her mouth parted. She knew she should stop him, but she just…couldn't.

"Damon," she whispered his name like a blessing and a curse.

"Do you want me to stop?" Damon asked knowingly. He lifted his hand to her collarbone and began trailing a line of fire down her torso. When his hand brushed over her stomach, she inhaled sharply. Damon made eye contact with her—the electricity of his blue eyes sucked all of the breath from Elena's lungs. Damon dropped his eyes to watch his hands which were exploring Elena's abdomen; he paused when he reached the elastic waistband of Elena's skirt and he looked up at her for permission.

Elena's heartbeat was racing. Her skin was heating up to unhuman temperatures. Her breathing was short and quick. The desire and need that coursed through her veins were overwhelming.

Elena stared at Damon in silence, knowing that if she gave her consent, there'd be no going back. She heard the soft mumbling of her friends' voices in the kitchen, completely unaware as to what was happening in her room. She searched Damon's face and stared at his hypnotic lips.

Elena raised her hand to Damon's neck and met his eyes again.

"Don't stop," she whispered weakly.

Damon smirked up at her, the same smirk that Elena both hated and loved.

In a blur, Damon picked Elena up and rushed her over to the wall. Her back hit the wall with a gentle thud and Damon pinned her to it by the hands. Elena inhaled sharply and smiled in surprise and lust—she loved how he took control.

"For your birthday," Damon whispered, dropping his lips to her clavicle, "I'm going to make you orgasm so hard that you won't be able to walk to your party."

Elena growled huskily in response. The heat, the tension, the intensity between them had her at a loss for words. Damon slowly sunk to his knees in front of her, trailing his fingers down the side of her body. Elena reached behind her and grabbed the wall for support as Damon lifted her skirt. He slid her panties off her legs, tickling her skin with his fingertips as he did so.

Damon stroked the skin of her inner thighs gently a couple times before suddenly placing her thighs on his shoulders and hauling her up. Elena gasped as she was lifted in the air and grabbed Damon's arms to stabilize herself.

Damon smirked up at her; she rolled her eyes playfully at him with a smile on her face. Damon winked at her and disappeared under her skirt. He started kissing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Elena opened her mouth, doing everything she could to suppress the animalistic sounds that wanted to escape her lips. Elena waited in anticipation as Damon's fiery kisses came closer and closer to where she really needed it until finally, Damon flicked her swollen clit with his tongue.

"Ohhh!" Elena moaned, placing her hands on the ceiling as a brace. Damon came out from under her skirt with a scolding expression.

"Shh!" he whispered. "Don't want your nosy friends to hear now, do you?"

Elena shook her head and clapped her hand over her mouth. She waited for Damon to keep going, but instead, he tensed up.

"Elena?" Jeremy's voice sounded from the bottom of the staircase. "Is everything okay? We heard you shout." Jeremy's footsteps began ascending the staircase.

"Ah! I'm fine!" Elena shouted back. The footsteps stopped. "Just dropped something on my toe!"

"Okay…do you need any help?" Jeremy asked. The footsteps started again.

"No! No!" Elena said, a little too hurriedly. The footsteps stopped. "I'm just getting dressed! Be down soon!" There was a pause.

"Okay…see you soon," Jeremy said, turning around and walking away. Elena sighed and rested her head against the wall. Eventually, she looked back down at Damon with eagerness.

"Well, don't stop," she said. Damon chuckled and shook his head before diving back down under her skirt.

He licked around her core for a while, teasing her with his tongue. Elena bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming and begging. Damon stopped licking and hovered over her core. He blew on her wetness and she shivered in response. She couldn't take it any longer—the foreplay was fun, but it was too much. She was so wet.

Elena placed her hand on his head in encouragement. Damon, deciding he tortured her enough, licked between her lower lips. Elena threw her head back in pleasure. Sparks of electricity darted from her heart, down her spine, and to her core, making her whole body tingle and shake. She'd never experienced anything like this before—one stroke of his tongue and she was coming undone.

Damon clamped his lips around Elena's clit and sucked, occasionally flicking it with his tongue too. Elena entwined her fingers in his hair so hard that it actually almost hurt Damon. She couldn't believe how close she was already to coming.

Damon moved down to her lower lips and plunged his tongue into her wetness. Elena let out a soft whimper. He plunged his tongue into her wetness at a quick pace. Every thrust of his tongue brought Elena closer and closer to heaven. Damon moved back up to her clit and licked it.

"I'm—I'm—," Elena whispered, but her words were cut off by her orgasm hitting her. Elena squeezed her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip so hard that she drew blood as she tried to hold in her screams. Her body quivered around Damon's tongue, but he held her in place, letting her ride out her orgasm.

As she began to come down from her high, Damon moved over her extremely sensitive clit again, making another orgasm rock her body. Her vision went blurry and tingles erupted across her arms until eventually, her body calmed down.

Damon slowly let Elena off of his shoulders and pinned her between him and the wall again. Elena's entire being was bubbly, enjoying the content feeling that comes after an orgasm. She looked up at Damon—his eyes were still plagued with desire and lust.

Damon bent down and drew his tongue across Elena's bottom lip, licking off the blood that she drew whilst coming. Elena moaned as he tasted her blood and she tasted her orgasm on his tongue. He began to pull away, but Elena's body was reignited by his touch—she needed more. She grabbed the back of his head, pulling him into a kiss. Damon grunted against her lips—he wanted all of her, but he promised himself he would hold back.

Elena, on the other hand, wanted all of him and intended on taking what she wanted. She reached down and cupped his erection. Damon immediately broke the kiss.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head.

"Come on, Damon," she whispered back. She rubbed him through his jeans; Damon growled from growing lust.

"No," he demanded, stopping her hand. Elena looked up at him with confusion. She was surprised that he was rejecting her. Damon entwined their fingers and made eye contact with Elena. The genuineness in his blue eyes robbed Elena of her words. Damon pressed his forehead to hers before speaking, "It's _your_ present, not mine."

"Let this be my present too," Elena whispered, pressing her knee to his already-painful erection. Damon grunted and shook his head.

"Another time," he whispered. Elena sighed and shook her head defiantly, but Damon didn't break. Instead, he left a lingering kiss on Elena's forehead; Elena closed her eyes, reveling in his touch. "Happy birthday, Elena," Damon whispered before pulling away completely and disappearing out the window.

A wave of cold emptiness washed over Elena. She sunk to the ground, staring out the window with her jaw partially open. Her last experience was so surreal to Elena, but she still felt so unsatisfied. She knew Damon must be feeling the same. It was almost painful, the need that Elena felt for Damon. She'd always felt it, but it was more intense now that she'd had a little preview of the pure pleasure that he could bring her.

Elena sighed and buried her head in her hands, clinging onto Damon's whispered promise and hoping that he would fulfill it…_another time._

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this installment! If you have any requests, send them my way, and I'll try to get to them. Thanks so much for reading and leave your thoughts in the reviews! :)**


	5. Jealousy (2)

**Emotions**

**Installment 5: Jealousy (2)**

**Description: It's Elena's turn to get jealous. After agreeing to attend the Michaelson Ball with Stefan, Elena has to endure watching Damon escort another woman to the same dance. How will she handle it?**

**Context: Season 3 episode 14 fic. AU where Stefan is not on a crazy revenge spree against Klaus. Warning: Stelena-esk beginning, but a total Delena fic. Seriously. It's DE.**

**Rating: T**

_Knock, knock. _

"Crap!" Elena exclaimed, trying to simultaneously put on her second high heel and walk to the door. She ended up tripping and falling to the door with a gentle _thud_. Elena quickly stood up and straightened her dress. Once she felt composed again, she opened the door with a smile.

Across the threshold stood Stefan, wearing a black tuxedo and holding a red rose corset. Stefan smiled at her and looked her over from head to toes.

"You look gorgeous," Stefan said. Elena smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said. Stefan handed her the corset; Elena looked down at it and toyed with the pedals on the rose…it reminded her of the rose that Damon gave her a while back. Elena shook herself from the nostalgia and looked back up at Stefan. "So, shall we?"

"We shall," Stefan said, gesturing for her to leave the house in front of him. She collected her skirts and swept out of the house. She walked to Stefan's red Porsche. Stefan opened the door for Elena and she slipped into the passenger seat. Stefan got in the driver's seat and revved up the engine before driving away from her house.

They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. The silence was a little awkward, much like their relationship recently. After a while, Stefan spoke up.

"Elena…I just wanted to say thank you."

"What for?" Elena asked, still staring out the window.

"For attending the ball with me tonight," Stefan said. That caught Elena's attention. She turned to look at him; he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and continued, "I know that you had other choices."

Elena nodded in recognition and turned her head to look out the window again. She toyed with the hem of her skirt—part of her, a big part of her, was regretting her decision to attend the Michaelson Ball with the younger Salvatore, but she'd never admit to it.

"Uh, speaking of…" Elena began hesitantly. "Do you know what Damon is up to tonight?"

"He'll be at the Ball too," Stefan responded nonchalantly. Elena perked up at his response and turned to face him.

"Really? Who's he going with?" Elena asked, a little too hurriedly. Stefan shot her a suspicious look before responding.

"I…don't know, and I honestly don't care," Stefan said, turning into the driveway of the Michaelson Mansion. Elena bit her bottom lip and nodded at him hesitantly.

"Yeah…me either," Elena lied. Stefan stopped the car in front of the house and exited. He opened the door for Elena and tossed his keys to the valet before placing his hand on Elena's lower back and escorting her up to the door. Two men opened the door for Elena and Stefan; they entered the mansion, looking regal in their evening attire.

Elena's eyes scanned the ballroom, looking for the man that she was not supposed to be looking for, and when she found him, her heart jumped to her throat. Damon stood near the bar, dressed in a black tuxedo that made his black hair and blue eyes pop.

Stefan noticed a change in Elena's body language—she seemed more eager and excited than before—and he followed her eye line. Stefan shook his head ever so slightly at the sight of Damon. He knew that Elena had grown feelings for Damon while he was gone, but now he was beginning to wonder if he knew the extent of those feelings.

Elena was too busy watching Damon to worry about Stefan. She watched as Damon picked up two glasses of champagne from the bar and walked across the long ballroom. Her eyes followed him closely, not missing a step. Eventually, he stopped and handed one of the champagne glasses to his date. Elena gasped when her eyes fell on his date.

"Rebekah?" Elena asked in shock. Stefan shrugged.

"I guess so," he said. He paused before speaking again. "It does kinda make sense if you think about it. They've always had this weird sexual tension."

"Hmm," Elena grunted, trying her best to hold back her true emotions. "I've never noticed it before. I thought they hated each other."

"Yeah, that probably only fuels it," Stefan said before placing his hand back on Elena's lower back. The contact made Elena jump—she was so bothered by the sight of Damon with Rebekah that she almost forgot that she was technically here with Stefan. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Yeah," Elena responded, walking towards the bar. "I could use a drink," she mumbled.

Once Stefan and Elena both had their drinks, Elena grabbed Stefan's hand and began dragging him towards Damon and Rebekah. She was trying to convince herself that she was just going to say 'hi,' but in reality, she knew that she just couldn't stand watching Damon and Rebekah flirt—she needed to intervene. Elena and Stefan strolled up to Damon and Rebekah who were speaking in hushed tones to each other.

Elena cleared her throat and both Damon and Rebekah faced her.

"Hi," Elena said with a fake smile.

"Well, hello there," Damon responded. His eyes darted down to Stefan and Elena's fingers entwined and he clenched his jaw ever-so-slightly, but Elena noticed it. She'd always notice it.

"I didn't know you would be here," Elena said, "with Rebekah no less." Damon shrugged.

"Just because I was your second choice doesn't mean that I have to stay home wearing sweatpants and eating rolls of cookie dough," he said bluntly. Elena furrowed her brow at his words. She knew that she deserved them; she had no right to get jealous, she'd been tossing Damon's emotions around a lot recently. Nonetheless, she was jealous…she was _really_ jealous, and she was just beginning to wonder what that jealousy meant.

"Elena, would you care to dance?" Stefan said, attempting to break the tension of the situation. Elena turned to him.

"I'd love to," she said. Stefan nodded at her and led her out to the dance floor. He spun her into his arms and Elena placed her chin on his shoulder. Even though she was dancing with Stefan, her eyes and her thoughts never left Damon. After a moment, Elena spoke up, "We should keep an eye on them."

Elena felt Stefan's body tense up.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Rebekah is dangerous. What if she lures Damon into a room and kills him?" Elena asked.

"If she lures Damon into a room, I doubt it'd be to kill him," Stefan hinted. Elena gritted her teeth at the thought of Damon kissing Rebekah with his tantalizing lips, touching her with his artistic hands, holding her with his strong body. Elena inhaled deeply, attempting to center herself.

Stefan and Elena continued swaying in silence. Even when Stefan spun Elena around, she never took her eyes off of Damon and Rebekah. She watched as Damon whispered something into Rebekah's ear and Rebekah giggled girlishly in response. Elena grunted and rolled her eyes at the ridiculous teenage-like flirt.

"Why do you think she came here with Damon? What's her plan?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"Elena," Stefan said with hints of annoyance.

"Sorry, sorry," Elena said, shaking her head. "I'm sure it's nothing."

A silence fell as Stefan processed his thoughts; he knew that Elena wasn't obsessing about Rebekah potentially hurting Damon; in fact, he knew that she was obsessing about the fact that Damon was here with a woman other than her. He sighed and pulled away slightly from Elena so he could look at her.

"I don't think it's nothing," Stefan said with hints of sadness in his voice. Elena cocked her head to the side in ignorant confusion.

"What? You think that Rebekah is trying to hurt Damon?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrows. Stefan shook his head.

"No, not that. I'm sure Damon can handle himself," Stefan paused and inhaled deeply, trying to mentally prepare himself for his next words. "Elena…do you want to be here with me," Stefan began, "or do you really want to be here with Damon?"

Elena's eyes widened; she stared at Stefan in shock with her mouth slightly parted. She couldn't deny that she felt jealous, but she had an obligation to Stefan to try to salvage their relationship…he deserved that much. Elena shook her head exaggeratedly.

"No Stefan, I want to be here with _you_. That's why I invited _you_, not him."

Stefan pursed his lip and looked around the ballroom, refusing to make eye contact with Elena—his heart hurt too much to look at her. But Elena still sensed that Stefan was hurting. She internally kicked herself for somehow always making one of the Salvatore brothers' hurt.

"You've talked about only him the whole evening, Elena," Stefan stated matter-of-factly. "You looked for him when we first came in, you haven't stopped staring at him and I sure-as-hell doubt that you've stopped thinking of him."

"Stefan…" Elena's voice drifted off—she couldn't deny his observations. Stefan shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, still swaying Elena around the dance floor.

"I know that you feel for him, Elena," Stefan said. Elena's heart dropped at his words. He continued, "I get it. I left and he was there for you. He's good with you…I see the way that you react to him, the way your body reacts to him. You—," Stefan choked on his words. He inhaled deeply before finishing, "You love him, don't you?"

Elena's heart nearly stopped at his words. She knew the answer to his question, deep deep down, she'd always known. Elena's eyes drifted across the ballroom and landed on Damon. She watched as Damon offered his hand to Rebekah and led her out to the dance floor; the same burning feeling of envy rushed over her. Elena took in a shaky breath before responding.

"Yes," she whispered weakly. She refused to meet Stefan's eyes, but she felt his shoulders drop at her confession. She felt the need to explain, "In a very different way than I love you, but yes, I love him too." She finally found the strength to meet his sad green eyes. "I still don't know what it means and I still don't know what to do about it. I just…love him, in my own weird way. All I can say is, I'm so sorry, Stefan. I never meant for this to happen."

Stefan let out a sad chuckle and shook his head.

"Me neither, but it did," he said. He paused as he came to terms with her words. "It's not my ideal situation, Elena, but I want you to be happy. So, I can back off and let you figure out these feelings you have for my brother."

"Stefan…"

"No Elena, you obviously want to be with him tonight, and I can't stand in the way of that," Stefan said. That was when Elena noticed that they were dancing almost directly next to Damon and Rebekah. She had no idea when they got so close, or how much of her and Stefan's conversation Damon had heard, but Stefan was obviously completely aware. Stefan turned his head to Damon and Rebekah and said, "Care to switch partners, brother?"

Damon turned his head to Elena and Stefan with an oddly genuine expression on his face.

"Sure, brother," he said. Damon released Rebekah from his grip and Stefan released Elena from his grip. Rebekah and Stefan joined and Stefan swept Rebekah away from Damon and Elena. Damon grabbed Elena's hand without any warning and spun her into his arms.

Elena gasped as she came in contact with Damon's hard chest. She placed her hand gingerly on Damon's chest and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt tingles erupt across her skin and butterflies flutter against the walls of her stomach and for the first time that evening, she felt warm.

Damon placed his hand on the bare skin of Elena's lower back and he stroked her skin with his thumb ever-so-lightly. She felt comfortable in the crook of his neck, she felt right. Damon pressed his cheek to the crown of her head and closed his eyes, enjoying the pure simplicity of the moment.

Damon and Elena began silently swaying to the music. Elena rubbed her hand against his, feeling every single crease and crevice of his palm. Damon stroked her hand in return, reveling in the feeling of her.

Elena remembered back to the first time they had danced—the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. She remembered the way Damon's blue eyes tore straight to her soul. She remembered how sexy he looked. She remembered the intensity, the beauty that was Damon Salvatore that evening. She wanted to know if that same intensity was still present.

Elena pulled away from Damon ever-so-slightly so she could look up at him. The moment her brown eyes locked with his cobalt eyes, she felt the same electricity from that first dance, but it was a little different. There was something else there, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but this new thing made her skin burn and her heartbeat race.

Damon noticed the way Elena was staring at him. It was different than before. She was staring at him with so much emotion that it almost threw him off beat. Damon's lips parted slightly. Elena's eyes drifted to his lips. They were calling to her, just begging to be kissed. And she wanted to; she wanted to kiss him so badly.

Elena inhaled deeply and sucked on her bottom lip. Damon noticed the way that she was staring at his lips; he just wondered if she would actually go through with it, if she would actually kiss him in front of all these people including her best friends' and Stefan. Damon drew his tongue across his bottom lip and Elena gulped in reaction. He knew he was torturing her. She knew he was torturing her.

Elena took a deep breath to center herself, reminding herself of where she was. She knew that she couldn't kiss Damon here, so publically, so quickly after her little spat with Stefan. So, instead, Elena sighed and let her head fall back to Damon's shoulder.

Damon tightened his grip on Elena. He wasn't surprised that she didn't kiss him, but he was still disappointed. Damon sighed and pressed his lips to the crown of her head, leaving a lingering kiss. Elena inhaled deeply at the gentle gesture and closed her eyes in content.

Damon replaced his lips with his cheek and continued swaying Elena. He knew he should just forget about everything he had heard earlier and enjoy the dance, but he couldn't. Damon lowered his mouth until he was hovering directly above Elena's ear.

"I love you too, in my own weird way," Damon whispered.

Elena inhaled sharply—she recognized her own words from earlier being thrown back at her. She now knew just how much of her and Stefan's conversation Damon had heard. She sighed heavily and adjusted her hand position, entwining her and Damon's fingers; it felt like all the nerve endings in her palm were exploding. Her heart swelled as his words settled into her being; she felt the emotion travel from her heart, past her throat, and to her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and one single tear slid down her cheek.

Elena turned her head ever-so-slightly and pressed her quivering lips to Damon's neck, leaving her secretive, non-verbal response on his skin.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review with your thoughts. Still taking requests. I have a couple to fulfill: temptation and electricity were requested and they are not forgotten. I will get to them soon. Feel free to leave a request! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Adoration

**Emotions**

**Installment 6: Adoration**

**Description: It's Elena's first New Year's Eve away from Bonnie, and she's taking it pretty harshly. She's having trouble finding something to be excited about, until her eyes wander to infamous bad-boy Damon.**

**Context: Season 6 fic. Takes place in the time during the hiatus.**

**Rating: T**

Elena was sitting at the dining room table in the Salvatore mansion. Caroline somehow managed to convince Damon and Stefan to let her use their house for a New Year's Eve/Welcome Back to Mystic Falls party. Elena was completely on board with Caroline's plan; she'd do anything for Caroline, especially now with her mom's diagnosis. A little fun could go a long way for Caroline. Nonetheless, Elena was feeling so dreadfully bored and lonely. She missed Bonnie...a lot.

"What's with the long face?" Caroline interrupted Elena's reverie. Elena looked over at the blonde vampire who just took a seat next to her.

"I'm just missing Bonnie is all. I hate not reining in the new year with her," Elena said, toying with a piece of confetti on the table. Around her, hordes of people were dancing to blaring music, playing beer pong and strip poker, and doing shots. It was a really good party, but Elena just wasn't enjoying it. Her life had gotten so utterly confusing.

"I miss Bonnie too, but do you really think she'd want us to mope around on New Year's Eve?" Caroline asked. Elena sighed and looked up at Caroline in growing defeat. Caroline smiled brightly and reached behind her, pulling out a sparkly silver hat. She placed it on Elena's head and flashed her a wicked smile. Elena chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"You're ridiculous," Elena said.

"I'm not the one wearing that ridiculous hat," Caroline said with a shrug.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for that. By the way—," Elena began, but she stopped talking suddenly when her eyes fell on the tall, dark, and handsome vampire. He was holding a glass of bourbon. His eyes scanned the room. He looked extremely annoyed by the amount of college students littering his house.

Caroline furrowed her brow at Elena's sudden change. She followed Elena's eye line and when she saw Damon leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face, Caroline knew exactly what shut Elena up.

"Helllooo! Earth to Elena!" Caroline said, snapping in front of Elena's face. Elena jumped and turned her attention back to Caroline.

"Huh? What?" Elena asked, genuinely perplexed. Caroline laughed and shook her head.

"What's going on with you and Damon? You've been spending a lot of time together lately." Caroline said knowingly. Elena scoffed.

"Nothing," she said. "I still hate him."

Caroline shrugged and stood up before leaning down to whisper in Elena's ear.

"That doesn't mean you don't also love him," she whispered. Elena bit her bottom lip at Caroline's words; the truth behind them shook her to her core. Caroline smirked at Elena's reaction and stood up; she walked away from Elena.

Elena sat still for a while, staring blankly at the table in thought before she slowly lifted her eyes to look at Damon. He hadn't moved one bit. Elena stared at him; she was surprised that he wasn't staring back at her, he usually was. But Damon was too distracted by the particularly amusing game of beer pong that was happening.

Elena was entranced by him. She panned up his body, noticing the way he held himself with confidence. He exhumed an "I-don't-give-a-fuck" attitude that she found way too hot. She noticed the way his black shirt rode up ever-so-slightly, showing just a taste of the perfect ivory skin that lay underneath. Elena gulped and licked her lip at the sight—her throat was suddenly very dry.

Elena switched her attention to his eyes—his beautiful blue eyes. They were electric—the amount of emotion that they held was shocking. Right now, they were lit up with a warm amusement. A little smile twitched onto Elena's cheeks at the sight. She felt all warm and bubbly at the light in his eyes. But, she also knew that his eyes could turn sincere and piercing or smug and playful within a matter of seconds, and she adored that too.

Elena's eyes dropped to his tantalizing lips; they were turned up into his common smirk. God, she had such a hate-love relationship with that smirk. It could show his smugness, his confidence, or sometimes, his insecurities. Of course, only Elena saw the insecurities, everyone else pushed it off as cockiness.

Elena wondered what was going on in that brilliant mind of his: maybe an action plan to get Bonnie bac? Or just a bunch of sarcastic commentary? She honestly had no clue, but she was damn curious. Elena sucked on her bottom lip; Damon was truly adorable to her.

Elena fidgeted with her phone and looked at the screen. It read: 11:51pm. Elena inhaled deeply and stood up, placing her phone in her back pocket before walking over to Damon.

Damon looked down at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Happy New Year, Princess," Damon said flirtatiously. Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and her eyes coyly fluttered up to look at him.

"Yeah, same to you," she said. Damon nodded and turned his eyes back to the game of beer pong.

"So, is there a specific reason why you came to talk to me, or could you just not keep away?" Damon asked. Elena smiled and let out a soundless chuckle whilst shaking her head.

"I actually just came to tell you thank you," Elena said, somewhat hesitantly. That caught Damon's attention. He turned to face her full-on. The sincerity in his blue eyes stole Elena's breath away. "You know…before the year ends and whatnot," Elena finished weakly.

"What for?"

"For everything you've done for Bonnie," Elena responded. Damon raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Don't thank me for that. She's not back…we failed," Damon said pessimistically.

"It's not just that. I wanted to say thank you for looking out for her," Elena began.

"Obviously I didn't—."

"No, Damon," Elena interrupted, raising her finger to his lips to keep him from talking. "You care about her. And I honestly cannot believe that I'm saying this, but thank you for getting the Ascendant and getting us to Bonnie…even though it failed."

"Yeah, and now there's a serial killer on the loose and my best friend hates me," Damon said, raising his glass in mock cheers. "Totally worth it!" Elena sighed and shook her head.

"Do not blame yourself for that psycho; he was going to get out no matter what we did," Elena hesitated before continuing, "and sure, your method to getting the Ascendant was…bad, but you know what I've noticed?"

Damon looked at her with curiosity.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"You do bad things, Damon," Elena declared. Damon's gentle façade began to harden and his eyes turned a deeper, predatory blue.

"Congratulations, Elena. You've noticed something that everyone's known for years," Damon said coldly.

Elena rolled her eyes and continued, "You do a lot of bad things, but you do them for the right reasons," Elena said; Damon unclenched his jaw and watched her with gentle eyes. Elena continued, "and you get _good_ results…results that we need. And I think that's pretty admirable." Elena stewed in silence, waiting for him to respond, but he was at a loss for words. So, Elena sighed and finished softly, "I just…I know that I don't know what we had, but I think I'm starting to get why I fell in love with you in the first place."

They stood there in silence, just staring at each other. The tension was palpable, and even the entirety of the party screaming the countdown didn't ease it.

"Ten!"

Elena's eyes darted to Damon's lips.

"Nine!"

Damon drew his tongue across his lower lip; Elena couldn't tear her eyes off of it.

"Eight!"

Elena's heartbeat sped up and her mind began racing with possibilities.

"Seven!"

She wanted to kiss him.

"Six!"

She wanted to kiss him…bad.

"Five!"

He wanted to kiss her just as badly.

"Four!"

She took a step closer; he tenderly placed his hand on her forearm.

"Three!"

She placed her hand on his waist; he leaned in closer.

"Two!"

She was entranced…their lips were an inch apart. She could taste the bourbon on his breath; he could smell her lavender shampoo. God, how he missed this, and God, how she needed this.

"One! Happy New Year!"

Damon and Elena closed the gap between their lips, joining together in an explosive kiss. Elena wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him flush to her body. Damon tenderly cupped her cheeks with his hands. Elena's grip was heated, passionate; Damon's grip was tender, loving—it was the perfect contrast. Elena moaned into Damon's mouth—he tasted amazing, and kissing him felt so right. It felt like she had kissed him millions of times before…which she guessed she actually had. It was undeniable to her now—they had an epic connection.

A loud "AH HA!" made Elena pull away from Damon's lips; she slightly turned her head to find Caroline pointing at her and Damon with a gigantic, proud, knowing smile on her lips. Damon and Elena chuckled; Elena shut her eyes and shook her head with a large smile on her face—she still felt giddy from the kiss.

Elena turned back to Damon who never tore his eyes from her. She looked down at his lips and then back up to his laughing blue eyes. She let out a quick happy laugh and cupped his cheek with the palm of her hand.

"Happy New Year, Damon," she said.

"I have a feeling it's gonna be a good one," he responded, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear before pulling her into yet another kiss.

**A/N: I wanted to do something that pertained to the holidays. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews! :)**


	7. Longing

**Emotions**

**Installment 7: Longing**

**Description: Damon left, upholding his deal with Stefan. Elena quickly begins to realize just how much the black-haired, blue-eyed vampire meant to her. The question is: can she get him back before she falls apart?**

**Context: Early season 4 fic.**

**Rating: T**

_Elena,_

_You know better than anyone that I suck at goodbyes. It's probably a dick move to just leave a letter, but if you haven't noticed, I can be a dick at times. I'm sorry to do this, but you made your choice, and I can respect that. You and Stefan deserve happiness (way more than I do) and I can't be hanging around as a constant reminder of what-might-have-been. You both deserve better than that, which is why I'm leaving. Stefan and I agree on this matter; it's what's best. I'm going to emphasize this to get it into that stubborn little brain of yours: DON'T SEARCH FOR ME. I doubt you'd find me anyway._

_Damon_

Elena crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in her purse, running from her house at superhuman speeds to reach her car. She got in the driver's seat and revved up the engine. She pulled out of the driveway and started speeding down the highway to the Salvatore Boarding House. She was going ninety in a fifty area, but it still seemed too slow.

"Come on!" Elena shouted, hitting the steering wheel and pressing harder on the gas. The car sped up to one hundred miles per hour. Elena was thankful that this highway was always empty.

Elena replayed the words from Damon's letter in her mind. _What did he mean he's leaving? For how long? _Elena thought worriedly. She already knew the answer—Damon was gone, Damon was gone…forever.

Tears began to leak from Elena's eyes—she was sure her mascara was running, but she didn't care. The amount of pain that was stabbing Elena's heart was unbearable. She had lost a lot of people in her life, but the thought of losing Damon was overwhelming.

Elena came to a screeching halt in front of the Salvatore Mansion and rushed out of the car and to the front door. She noticed that Damon's Camaro was not in its typical place in the driveway.

Elena burst into the house without any warning and began running to the parlor, knowing all the places in the house that Damon frequented.

"Damon?!" Elena shouted, looking around the parlor; it was deserted. Elena's breathing spiked and panic hit her as she sped up the stairs to Damon's bedroom. She burst through the door and shouted again, "Damon?!"

The room was completely abandoned. Damon's drawers were open and emptied. A sinking feeling came over Elena. She shook her head defiantly and began to head to the library. She walked into the library a little more hesitantly, beginning to let the depressing reality hit her.

"Damon?" Elena asked weakly.

"He's gone," a voice sounded from behind her. Elena spun around to find her current boyfriend, Stefan, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Elena bit her bottom lip and shook her head, trying to hold back the tears.

"Wh—what do you mean 'gone?'" Elena asked.

"I mean he left, and he's not coming back," Stefan said. Tears started to stream down Elena's cheeks again at Stefan's words. She couldn't take it—it was too painful. She couldn't lose _him_. Elena shook her head again and pulled out her phone. She dialed Damon's number and raised it to her ear.

"You've reached Damon Salvatore, leave it," Damon's voicemail sounded on the other line. Elena placed her hand on her forehead in distraught as the loud, obnoxious beep sounded. She inhaled deeply, attempting to prevent her voice from wavering before she spoke.

"Damon, I get that you're hurt, but please don't leave me," Elena whispered, trying to hide her pleas from the prying ears of Stefan. Of course, he heard anyway. Elena continued in a wavering voice, "Please, Damon, please. I need you. After everything, you—you're the one person in this world I can't lose. Please come back."

Elena slowly brought the phone down and hung up. She stared at the screen in silence for a second before placing it back in her pocket. She slowly looked up at Stefan. He was watching her with a furrowed brow, obviously worried about her. She wiped her tears on the back of her sweater sleeve and took in a long, shaky breath.

"Elena—."

"What did he mean by 'Stefan agrees?'" Elena interrupted, thinking back to Damon's letter. Stefan sensed her brimming anger and spoke very carefully.

"When Damon and I went to go bury Klaus, we…made a deal," Stefan said. Elena cocked her head to the side.

"What deal?" she asked. Stefan remained silent. Elena balled her small hands into fists, and spoke harsher, "What deal, Stefan?"

Stefan couldn't make eye contact with her—he was beginning to realize just how badly he messed up.

"Whichever brother you chose," Stefan said hesitantly, "the other would leave."

"What?! Why?!" Elena shouted.

"We decided that it would be the best shot for happiness—."

"Whose happiness, Stefan?!" Elena shouted; she began pacing. "You _know_ that it took me so long to choose because I couldn't lose one of you!"

"Elena, please—."

"Oh, don't 'please' me," Elena said, placing her hand on her hip haughtily and turning to face him. "Damon being gone might make _you_ happy, but not me," Elena exclaimed. Stefan's eyes fell back to the floor; he knew just how close Elena and Damon were and he was beginning to realize that he ultimately sent her best friend away. Elena scoffed and shook her head, "Did it even occur to you how…_hard_ this might be for me?"

Stefan sighed and made eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Stefan said. Elena chuckled mirthlessly and ran her hand through her hair.

"Forget it," Elena responded, brushing past him and leaving the house, slamming the door in her wake.

That was three months ago.

Eventually, Elena learned to forgive Stefan, but she never forgot. She never forgot the way Damon's eyes lit up when she walked into the room. She never forgot his smug smirk that had her heart melting in her chest. She never forgot his snide remarks or his unconditional support. She never forgot the smell of leather and bourbon, the rumble that indicated he was approaching in his Camaro, the small smile he would get on those rare occasions when they were both happy. She never forgot how perfect it felt to be in his arms, to dance with him, to laugh with him. She never forgot the taste and feel of his lips…his lips. God, Elena missed kissing him. She'd only kissed him twice, and she was beginning to regret not kissing him more.

She still had his goodbye letter; it was safely tucked away in the pages of her diary. She read it every morning when she woke up and every night before she fell asleep.

In her dreams, he returned to her. It was always the same: he would come in through her bedroom window and sneak under her covers. She would wake up in his arms.

He would tell her: "I'm sorry for listening to my idiot brother and leaving you. It's been torture. I promise to _never_ leave you again."

She would cry and forgive him, peppering his face with wet kisses and holding him tight, vowing to never let him go. But then she would wake up with the same cold feeling that had been haunting her for months.

Elena refused to disclose any of her emotions to her friends, but they could tell that something was wrong. Elena figured transitioning would've been loads easier with Damon around, but she was getting along well enough with Stefan.

She also refused to tell Stefan about her Damon-worries; she didn't want to hurt him. It was undeniable to Elena now—her feelings for Damon were more intense than she previously thought. But, she chose Stefan and she would dutifully fulfill her choice. Damon was gone anyway. It wasn't like she could do anything about it. Damon's absence had torn a hole in her heart, and it was becoming more and more obvious that only he would be able to fill it.

Elena hated keeping secrets from Stefan. Nonetheless, she did. She didn't want Stefan to find the maps and charts hanging in the back of her closet, tracking Damon's possible locations. She didn't want him to hear her calling Damon's phone at least once a day, hoping he would pick up. He never did, but she always left a voicemail, wondering if he was actually listening to them. She was hoping that maybe one of her messages would be enough to convince him to come home to her, to ease this pain that he left her with.

The first few voicemails that Elena left included her begging him to return to her. She told him that he was her best friend and that she felt so lost without him.

The next few voicemails were angry. Elena was officially mad at Damon for leaving without a trace and not returning her calls, and she was more than willing to curse him out on the phone for it.

The next few voicemails were apologetic. She told him how sorry she was for getting angry with him, for toying with his emotions, for choosing Stefan.

Nothing worked.

He was still gone and she was still broken.

It was the day before Caroline's birthday and Elena was sitting in her room at her desk, toying with her phone. Caroline and Bonnie would be picking her up in roughly five minutes to go birthday dress shopping. It was a big deal for Caroline, and Elena was excited to spend some alone time with her friends. But first, she had another obligation to fulfill.

Elena sighed and dialed Damon's phone number one final time, raising the phone to her ear. It went straight to voicemail: big shock.

"You've reached Damon Salvatore, leave it." _Beeeeeeeeeeeeep!_

"Hey Damon, it's me again. I don't know where you are or what you're doing, although I sure-as-hell have tried to find you. I just hope you're okay. I've called you every day, but obviously these messages are doing nothing because you're still gone and I'm still…" Elena inhaled deeply to center herself; she felt tears brimming again—she was so sick of crying. "Do you even listen to these, or am I just talking to a damn machine?!" Elena asked with brimming anger. She inhaled deeply again to dispel her anger before continuing, "I just wanted to tell you something; I was hoping that I would be able to tell you in person, but that's obviously not going to happen. I wanted to tell you that I realized something. I've actually known it for a long time now, but I've been scared of it, and can you really blame me?" Elena asked with a single laugh, "This is terrifying, Damon. But you need to know," Elena paused for a while, internally forcing herself to finally say it…to finally admit it out loud. She sighed and spoke again, "I love you, Damon. I do. And I wish you were home so I could show you just how much I…" Elena took a deep breath, "how much I regret choosing Stefan." Elena shut her eyes tightly. It felt so relieving to get that off her chest, even though Damon would probably never hear it, she needed to say it. Elena heard Caroline's car roll up her driveway. "Goodbye, Damon," Elena finished hurriedly before hanging up and heading for the front door.

She put on her best fake smile and skipped to Caroline's car.

"Hey purty lady," Caroline said teasingly as Elena slid into the car.

"Hey there," Elena said, kicking her feet up on the divider. Bonnie flashed Elena a smile, which Elena returned somewhat easily before Caroline drove away.

The girls were all in the dressing room, watching as Caroline spun around in front of a three-panned mirror, showing off a beautiful red and orange ball gown. Elena was too consumed in thoughts to actually notice how beautiful the dress was, but Caroline noticed Elena's distraction.

"Hey! Elena! What do you think of the dress?" Caroline asked, twirling again. Elena jumped as she was torn from her reverie. She numbly looked up at the almost fire-like dress and gave a fake smile and nod.

"I like it," Elena said. She looked down at her phone. Bonnie and Caroline exchanged a worried look. They stared at each other for a while, communicating through looks about what to do. Eventually, Caroline sighed and turned her attention to Elena.

"Elena…" Caroline said hesitantly. She walked over to the obviously depressed vampire and sat down next to her. Elena never tore her eyes from the phone; she knew what was coming, and she wasn't sure she could handle another 'we're-worried-about-you' speech right now. Unfortunately, Caroline tapped Elena's chin up, forcing her to look at her friends. "Elena, we're worried about you," Caroline said.

Elena internally chuckled mirthlessly; she called it.

"Why?" Elena asked with a dismissive shrug.

"You've been acting kinda…depressed lately," Bonnie interjected. Elena shook her head and faked a laugh.

"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously," Elena said, trying (and failing) to convince them. She turned her nose back down to her phone and started writing a pointless text to Jeremy. Caroline and Bonnie exchanged another look over Elena's back.

Caroline sighed and fidgeted with her hands. Deep down, she knew exactly what was bothering Elena, and she wasn't exactly over-joyed with the situation, but she knew that she had to talk to Elena about it.

"Is it Damon?" Caroline asked with a cold bite to her tone. Elena froze up at Caroline's words: she stopped texting and just sat there, staring at her phone in complete shock. She felt tears brimming again and she took a deep breath to try to scare them away.

"Elena," Bonnie's gentle voice sounded. Bonnie slid over and placed her hand on Elena's shoulder tenderly. Elena relaxed a bit under her touch. Bonnie whispered, "It's okay. You can trust us; we won't judge you."

Elena felt choked up; she felt suffocated. Her emotions were overwhelming. She missed Damon so much, and she was sick of holding it all in. It was beginning to eat her up from the inside. A tear fell from Elena's eye and landed on her phone; she quickly brushed it off with her thumb, but Bonnie and Caroline had already seen it.

Caroline placed her head on Elena's shoulder and Bonnie stroked her back sweetly.

"You can tell us," Caroline whispered comfortingly.

That was all the permission Elena needed. Elena lifted her head and began speaking. It was like emotional vomit—everything that she had been bottling up for three months came tumbling out of her and she couldn't seem to stop it. She was crying through her words, but she just kept talking, needing to let it all out.

"And I'm just feeling so damn guilty because I chose Stefan, but I love Damon and I don't know what to do about it!" Elena finished. She inhaled deeply to catch her breath and buried her head in her hands in relief. It felt good to tell them.

Caroline and Bonnie were speechless. They were still processing all the new information that Elena had dumped on them. It was so surreal; Elena Gilbert had fallen in love with Damon Salvatore. After a moment, Caroline finally spoke up.

"You know what you have to do, right?" she asked quietly. Elena looked at her with curiosity. "You have to tell Stefan."

Elena's heart sunk; she knew that Caroline was right. She had to tell Stefan, and that was exactly what she planned on doing.

It took a whole week for Elena to find the courage to confront her boyfriend. She drove to the Salvatore Boarding House, planning out her little speech in her head. She entered the house and with her vampire hearing, she could hear Stefan turning the pages of whatever book he was reading. She went straight to the library.

When Elena walked in, Stefan looked up from his book and smiled at her. Elena smiled back at him, but her gut churned, reminding her of what she had to do. She already had to tell one of the Salvatore brothers' once that she loved his sibling; she dreaded having to do it again.

"Hey," Stefan said.

"Hey," Elena responded, walking over to the bourbon bottle that was always around. She poured herself a glass and lifted it to her nose. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent overwhelm her—it was so perfectly _Damon_.

"So, what do I owe the honor of your presence?" Stefan asked, putting down his book and standing up. Elena threw back the entire glass of bourbon and poured herself another one. She would need to be somewhat buzzed for this conversation.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Elena said.

"Well, talk away," Stefan said, crossing his arms. Elena sighed and chugged her second glass of bourbon. She filled it up again. Stefan narrowed his eyes at the amount of alcohol she was consuming; he knew something was off.

Elena had no idea how to start this conversation. She thought that she had it all planned out, but that proved to be very, very wrong. After a moment, she decided that it would be better to just dive in.

"It's about Damon," Elena said. Stefan tensed up—he hadn't heard Elena say Damon's name since that dreadful night three months ago when Damon left.

"What about him?" Stefan asked, feigning ignorance. In reality, he had a feeling that he knew exactly what Elena wanted to talk about…and surely enough, he was right.

Elena threw back another glass of bourbon and placed the tumbler on the table before looking up at Stefan; her eyes swimming with guilt.

"Stefan…I—," Elena began, but Stefan raised his hand, cutting her off. He didn't think he could handle hearing her apologize for falling in love with his brother.

Stefan dropped his eyes to the carpet and inhaled deeply, formulating the words in his mind. Pain was swarming his chest, but he knew that it needed to be said.

"You love him, don't you?" Stefan asked. Elena inhaled sharply—she didn't see that one coming. Stefan looked up, obviously searching for her response. Elena swallowed and nodded slowly in confirmation. Stefan shut his eyes tightly in sadness.

"Stefan…I'm so sorry," Elena said weakly.

"Elena," Stefan said, looking up at her with sincerity, "Does this make me happy? No. But you can't control how you feel. I actually think I've known for a long time now."

Elena played with the hem of her skirt and shuffled her feet.

"How?" Elena asked. Stefan shrugged.

"You've been different since he left…more reserved," Stefan said. Elena nodded slowly and turned her eyes to the window.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Elena said weakly. She felt the tears brimming in her eyes again. "He's gone," she whispered. The moment the words fell from her lips, tears began streaking her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming. She knew that she shouldn't show her sadness over Damon's absence in front of Stefan, it wasn't fair to him, but she couldn't help it. Eventually she gave up and crossed her arms, clutching her body as sobs began to shake her.

Stefan watched her with sympathy. Sure, he just had his heart broken, but he still loved Elena and he hated seeing her like this...so broken, so hurt, so lost. He took three quick strides to cross the room and wrapped Elena in his arms, burying his nose in her hair.

Elena eagerly returned his hug, holding onto him tightly as the sobs shook her body.

"He's really gone," Elena said through the tears.

Stefan propped his chin up on Elena's shoulder and his eyes fell on the doorway, or more accurately, the figure leaning against the doorway.

"Uh," Stefan responded, "I'm not so sure of that."

Elena pulled away from Stefan and looked at him with confusion, but Stefan kept his eyes glued on the figure. A small smile twitched onto his lips. Elena noticed the change and furrowed her brow more.

"I'm gone for three months and she's this unhappy? You must be a terrible boyfriend, brother," Damon's velvety voice sounded from behind Elena. Elena's heart nearly stopped at the sound of his voice—it was too good to be true. Elena shook her head, refusing to let herself believe that he was actually here. She reached over and pinched her arm: it hurt. Damon chuckled, "No, Princess, you're not dreaming."

Elena spun on her heels so fast that she almost got dizzy. When her eyes fell on Damon, her heartbeat raced and her skin flushed with heat. He was just as beautiful as she remembered, with mussed black hair, electric cobalt eyes, and that smug smirk playing on his lips. He carried himself with so much poise.

"Where were you?" Elena asked.

"Well, first I took a little trip down to Mexico. Got bored there pretty quickly and decided to go up to Paris. Now, _that_ was fun. But then it got a little dull and I went over to Australia—they have funny accents there," Damon said with a shrug.

"Bu—but, voicemails?" Elena asked, still unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Listened to every single one," Damon said with a little more softness in his voice. His eyes turned from playful to sincere as he panned up her body. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, with chocolate brown hair, warm brown eyes, and soft pink lips. Her eyes were a little puffier than usual, obviously from her crying. He hated himself for causing her so much pain, but he honestly thought that he was doing the right thing. God, he had missed her so much.

Damon slowly walked over to Elena and placed his hand on her cheek, stroking away a lingering tear. Elena leaned into his touch—tingles erupted across her body and warmth flooded her skin for the first time in three months. He watched her with such a burning intensity that it took her breath away.

"Not one day went by where I didn't think of you," Damon whispered softly. Elena shut her eyes contently and a smile tugged on the edges of her lips.

"Why did you come back?" Elena whispered.

"That last voicemail you left was very convincing," Damon responded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Elena opened her eyes to look at him—he seemed uncertain. "Is it true?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly.

Elena smiled up at him and nodded her head in confirmation. Damon smiled down at her beamingly; it was true: Elena Gilbert had actually fallen in love with him. Staying away from her this long had taken so much willpower and he didn't think he could wait another second.

Damon leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Elena responded instantly, pressing her palms to Damon's chest and moving her lips to match his expert kisses. This kiss was different than their kiss in Denver: it was tender, gentle. They were exploring every crevice of each other's mouths. This kiss wasn't filled with lust, it was filled with love. Elena wrapped her arms around Damon's waist and pulled him tighter to her body, refusing to let him go.

The hole that once resided in Elena's heart was steadily being filled again, and for the first time in three months, she felt complete.

Damon broke from her lips and pressed his forehead to hers. They opened their eyes: cobalt blue meeting chocolate brown.

Elena reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Damon melted under her touch—he missed this: feeling her, holding her, kissing her.

Elena looked at Damon with complete sincerity and whispered: "Never leave me again, okay? _Never._"

Damon smirked and kissed her nose.

"Never," he whispered.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought in the reviews! :)**


	8. Temptation

**Emotions**

**Installment 8: Temptation**

**Description: Damon's sick of Elena's indecision and he decides that it's about time to make her choose: him or his brother. But, his way of getting information out of her requires tempting her with something she can't resist: pleasure.**

**Context: Season 3 fic. AU where Damon and Stefan dropped Klaus into the quarry after they desiccated him without any of that Alaric/Rebekah/Elena dying drama. Thanks to DelenaForever93 for the prompt. I hope I did it justice! Let me know what you thought.**

**Rating: M for explicit smut. **

Damon was driving back from dumping Klaus's body in the quarry. Stefan sat next to him; they were both thinking about their earlier conversation: whoever Elena chose, the other would leave. Damon tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. The thought of leaving Elena terrified him and he was pretty damn positive that he would be the one leaving. After all, his baby brother _always_ got the girl.

Damon watched as he drove past the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign and a sinking feeling hit him. He would have to face Elena. He was worried that during the past few days when she had no supernatural drama while Stefan and he were gone, she would have made her decision, and he was worried that her decision didn't involve him.

Damon slowed down a bit, dreading the approach to the town. Stefan noticed the change and turned to his older brother.

"What's up?" he asked. Damon refused to tell Stefan the truth; he hated showing such vulnerability, so instead he came up with a sarcastic comment.

"Well, the speed limit is 65 and I was going 80. You know how I'm a stickler for the law, brother," Damon said with a smug smirk. Stefan raised his eyebrows and shook his head before turning to look back out the window.

"Should we check in on Elena or go straight home?" Stefan asked nonchalantly. Damon's stomach churned. Could he really endure going to see Elena with his brother and listening to her verdict right now? No. He couldn't stand seeing their dramatic reunion.

"I bet our girlfriend is having a blast without us," Damon said. "We wouldn't want to ruin her fun, would we?"

"Mmm," Stefan responded indifferently. Damon drove through the main town of Mystic Falls. When he passed Elena's house he tapped into his vampire hearing: it sounded like she was watching a movie with Jeremy and Caroline. That was all the confirmation he needed that she was alive and well.

Damon continued driving until he reached the boarding house. He pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the Camaro. He headed straight for his room, not wanting to endure any more conversation with Stefan.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Stefan asked. He noticed something was off with his older brother, and he was worried about him.

"To take a shower, I smell like dead squirrel after being stuck in a car with you for three days," Damon responded. Stefan knew that Damon's sarcasm was really thinly veiled insecurity, but he didn't have the energy to engage it right now.

"I'm going hunting," Stefan said, heading for the front door.

"Tell Bambi I say 'hi,'" Damon responded, disappearing around the corner. Stefan rolled his eyes at his brother and headed for the forest.

Damon listened as Stefan disappeared into the woods. He exhaled in relief at the fact that he was finally alone and he walked to the shower. He turned it on and stripped down before stepping under the water. It was warm and cascaded down his head and body, heating up his cold skin. Damon closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of it.

His thoughts wandered to the brown-haired, brown-eyed vixen that had been torturing for a year and a half. He had a feeling that she had made her decision, but at the same time, he wondered if she didn't. If she didn't, he didn't think he could stand any more time in this damn love triangle. How the hell did he get involved in it in the first place? This love triangle thing was some major high school bullshit. He couldn't deal with it anymore—if Elena hadn't made her decision yet, he figured he could give her some incentive to do so.

Of course, that would require having to actually see her, and he didn't know if he could do that. He always loved seeing Elena, but recently, it had become painfully confusing. That girl was the Queen of mixed signals. One second she'd be slapping him in the face and telling him that his love for her was a problem, the next she'd be getting hot-and-heavy with him in a beat-up motel in Denver.

Damon grunted and pressed his forehead to the cool tile of the shower as replayed the little scene in Denver in his mind. She tasted so damn good. She felt so damn good. He got to see a side of Elena that she always hid—the passionate, sexually driven side of her.

Damon opened his eyes and looked down—he was aroused by the memory. Damon grunted and grabbed his length. He closed his eyes again and thought back to the motel. He remembered the feel of Elena's small, soft curves pinned between his body and the cement pillar and he began pumping his length. He remembered the way she hungrily claimed his mouth. He remembered kissing down her beautiful cleavage. He remembered the way her hands wandered: across his chest, cupping his ass, rubbing his growing erection.

Damon pictured what would've happened if Elena's dumbass-of-a-little-brother hadn't interrupted them. He would've taken her right then and there. He would've entered her, securing her body to the pillar, and he would've let her ride him until they both came so hard that they saw stars on that starless night.

Damon exploded on his hand and opened his eyes. His dick softened and he washed his cum off his body. He sighed in disappointment—Damon Salvatore should never have to resort to jerking off, but Elena did that to him.

After he finished bathing, he dressed in black jeans and a black cotton t-shirt. He couldn't stop thinking about Elena. If she really had made her choice, what if she had chosen him? Damon shook his head in disbelief. He reminded himself that he was the bad brother; the bad brother _never_ gets the girl, especially a girl like Elena Gilbert.

Still, Damon wanted to know. He had nothing to lose, right? But, he didn't want her to break his heart on her terms. He wanted to make her struggle one final time with her decision—he would make it hard for her to choose Stefan.

Damon quickly grabbed his car keys and rushed out the front door. He got into the Camaro and drove to Elena's house. When he reached her front door, he paused and listened in. Caroline and Jeremy were still with Elena; Caroline and Elena were giggling at the movie they were watching and Jeremy was chuckling low in his throat.

_That might complicate things,_ Damon thought begrudgingly. Nonetheless, he figured he could work around it. After all, he _was_ Damon Salvatore, master of seduction.

Damon knocked on the door three times and waited. He heard the movie being paused and Jeremy's voice.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"I'll get it," Caroline announced. Damon heard her stand up and begin walking to the front door. He smirked; he loved messing with Blondie.

"If it's Stefan, tell him I'm not here," Elena said softly. Damon furrowed his brow at her words, but didn't have time to overthink it because the front door opened. Caroline panned up Damon's body and her face turned up into an annoyed scowl—she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

"She's not here," Caroline said, trying to close the door, but Damon stopped the door with his hand and opened it wide.

"Liar," he said, marching into the corridor without permission. Damon reached the entryway into the living room and turned to look at Elena and Jeremy. Elena looked up to see who was there and when her eyes fell on Damon, she jumped up, throwing the blanket off her lap and smoothing down her sweatpants before straightening up to look at him.

"Damon," Elena stated.

"Well, hello to you, too," Damon responded with a smug smirk. Elena fidgeted her feet and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Damon could hear her heartbeat thundering in her chest—he loved the way her body reacted to him.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, placing her hands on her hips, trying to appear annoyed and sassy. She failed. Everyone could see the way Damon made her weak in her knees.

"I wanted to talk to you," Damon stated. He looked around at Caroline and Jeremy. "Alone," he finished.

Elena nodded a couple times and looked between her brother and her best friend.

"Can you guys give us a second?" she asked.

"But—," Caroline began.

"It's fine," Elena stated. "I'll be fine."

Caroline sighed.

"Okay…I guess I should be getting home anyway," she said, collecting her stuff and heading for the front door. She turned back to the group; she narrowed her eyes at Damon and glanced suspiciously at Elena. "Be careful…" she said hesitantly before leaving.

Damon chuckled at Caroline's warning…it might actually be needed this time.

Damon and Elena both looked at Jeremy, who glared at them in silence. Ever since the motel situation, he'd be unbelievably suspicious of Damon and Elena, and he was extremely protective of Elena; Damon worried him. Finally, Jeremy spoke up.

"You two are just gonna make out when I leave, aren't you?" Jeremy asked.

"Jeremy!" Elena gasped with wide eyes.

"Probably," Damon said with a shrug.

"Damon!" Elena turned her scolding to him. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes, trying to hide the smile on her cheeks. She failed.

"I'm not leaving," Jeremy said, crossing his arms defiantly. Elena sighed and turned to him with apparent frustration.

"Jer, Damon and I need to talk," Elena said.

"Fine. I'll be here," Jeremy said. Damon sighed. This little punk was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Isn't it past your bedtime or something?" Damon asked. Jeremy shot daggers at him with his eyes.

"Jeremy, please," Elena pleaded softly. Jeremy turned his head to Elena and his eyes began to soften. She was begging him with his eyes and eventually he sighed, giving in.

"Ugh, okay," he grumbled, standing up, "Matt wanted to hang out anyway."

"Do you need a ride?" Elena asked in that maternal way of hers. Damon shook his head threateningly at Jeremy and Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Damon.

"No," Jeremy said, walking up to Damon. He got right up in Damon's face and lowered his voice. "And Damon, if you so much as lay a finger on her, I will kill you, got it?"

"Check," Damon said with a nod, "I'm very scared. Now get out of here."

Jeremy gritted his teeth in anger and left the house, slamming the door in his wake. Elena visibly relaxed at Jeremy's absence and slowly looked up at Damon. Her brown eyes were coy, timid almost and it just about made Damon's undead-heart start up again. He flashed her a gentle and sincere smile which she returned easily.

"So, how'd it go with Klaus?" Elena asked, breaking the silence.

"Easy breezy," Damon said, walking towards her. Elena watched as he dawned on her and her breathing shortened. He stopped directly in front of her and looked down at her with dark blue eyes, tinted with a deep rooted lust that made Elena gulp. She felt her palms get sweaty at his proximity.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Elena choked out. Damon smirked at her and took the hem of her shirt between his thumb and forefinger. He played with it suggestively and Elena's heartbeat picked up. They made eye contact and Elena instantly knew that his thoughts were far-from pure. Heat rushed between her legs and she rubbed her thighs together.

"I want you to make a decision, Elena," Damon said, cocking his head to the side.

"About?" Elena whispered breathlessly. How did he manage to turn her on so much already without even touching her?

"Oh no, don't play dumb with me, 'Lena," Damon purred. He pressed his palm to Elena's stomach under her shirt and she inhaled sharply. She knew what he wanted, she knew his plan, and dammit if she was going to stop him.

"Why should I tell you?" Elena whispered, deciding to play along a bit. Damon smirked, his eyes lit up—this reaction was…unexpected, but not unappreciated.

Damon dropped his head until he was hovering above her ear. His breath tickled her neck and she shivered.

"Because I can give you something I know you want," Damon whispered. More heat pooled to her core and she let out a very soft whimper; Damon heard it. He could smell her intense arousal in the air and it affected him—he began to harden. He smirked and the scuffle of his cheek tickled her skin.

"What's that?" Elena whimpered.

"Pleasure," Damon whispered. Elena inhaled sharply again and her eyes fluttered closed as Damon caught her earlobe in his mouth and sucked on it.

"Th—that's…a tempting…offer," Elena whispered weakly. She felt weak to her knees. Damon tickled the skin of her abdomen and began walking forward; Elena walked backwards as he moved forwards until her legs hit the couch and she fell backwards, landing on the cushions.

Damon stood above her and reached down, cupping his dick through his jeans to relieve some tension. Elena looked down at his hand and her eyes turned a darker brown as lust flooded her body. She licked her lips and Damon gulped at how hungrily she was watching him. He _really_ didn't expect this reaction.

"So, tell me," Damon insisted, crawling on his hands and knees over her; he stopped when they were face-to-face, "who do you chose: me or my brother?" Elena lifted her leg and hooked it around Damon's waist.

"I thought you promised me pleasure," Elena whispered.

"Tell me first," Damon growled.

"No," Elena said. Damon grunted at her stubbornness; he dropped his head to her clavicle, leaving soft kisses across it. Elena moaned and threw her head back to give him better access. Damon kissed down to her cleavage; he licked and nibbled across the top of her heaving breasts. Elena let out another moan. Damon stopped suddenly and looked up at her with his gorgeous blue eyes.

"Make a decision," Damon growled, almost predatorily.

"Already have," Elena admitted. Damon's heart dropped at her words, but at the same time, hope flooded him. He had more hope than he had earlier; after all, Elena was doing this with him right now. But, on the other hand, Damon knew it could all just be his amazing seduction skills.

"And?" Damon asked, somewhat hesitantly. Elena shook her head and _tsk_ed.

"It's gonna take more than that to get it out of me," Elena said huskily. She was blinded by her lust. Damon raised his eyebrows at her in surprise: who was this woman under him and what did she do with Elena Gilbert? Nonetheless, he didn't protest.

Damon grabbed her shirt and ripped it in half. He did the same to her bra and dropped his head to her exposed nipple, teasing it with his tongue. Elena moaned and wrapped her legs around Damon's waist, rubbing herself against Damon's erection.

"Jesus, fuck, Elena," Damon growled. He moved to her other nipple and sucked on it.

"Mmm, Damon," Elena moaned. Damon loved how vocal she was—he didn't expect it. She was usually so quiet with Stefan.

"Tell me," Damon demanded, moving past her breasts and kissing down her stomach. He stopped when he reached the waistband of her sweats.

"No," Elena said, shaking her head. "More."

"What do I have to do?" Damon asked. Elena looked down at him, feeling more confident and sexier than ever before; Damon pulled it out in her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Elena asked, almost innocently. She parted her legs and placed her hand on Damon's bicep, pushing him down. "Eat me out," she said.

Damon's eyes widened at her blunt words; all semblance of innocence that Elena previously had in his eyes was now gone, but he still loved her. He loved this sexual goddess that was in front of him and he wanted to give her the world.

"You ask and I do, I'm easy like that," Damon said with a wink. He hooked his thumb in the waistband of her sweatpants and her panties and pulled them down her legs, leaving her completely bare to him. He took a second to appreciate her in this moment before dropping his head to her heat. She was so wet for him and it made him so hot.

Damon blew on her wetness a couple times, making Elena shiver, before he licked up her entire core. Elena threw her head back and moaned loudly.

Damon took that as an invitation to go forward; he began flicking her clit with his tongue quickly.

"God, yes!" Elena shouted. Damon reached up and kneaded her tits as he sucked her clit into his mouth. "Mmm, yeah, yeah," Elena moaned. Damon let her clit slip from his lips and licked up her wetness. Elena reached down and grabbed Damon's hands on her tits and entwined their fingers.

"You like that, baby?" Damon asked.

"God, yes. Don't stop, please don't stop," Elena moaned. Damon licked her clit before flicking it over and over again and Elena felt a knot build in the bottom of her stomach, indicating her approaching orgasm. "Mmm, yeah, eat my pussy."

Damon felt himself grow harder at Elena's naughty words. He never thought he would hear her talk dirty, but she was way more sexually liberated than he thought she was.

Damon continued to lick her clit until finally Elena shuddered around his tongue.

"Damon!" Elena screamed his name as she rode out her orgasm. Her hips bucked up, making it so she was riding his mouth. She tasted delicious. Damon held her in place as she came down from her high. Elena was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. She fell back on the cushions in a heap, looking up at the ceiling. "Fuck," she whispered.

Damon stood up and looked at her naked body.

"So, you owe me some information," Damon stated. Elena looked up at him with a playful smirk tugging on her lips. She looked so adorable like that; Damon couldn't resist crawling up to her, blanketing her body with his own, and kissing her gently on the lips. She didn't push him off; in fact, she melted into the tender kiss. Damon broke from her lips and pressed his forehead to hers. "Please tell me that this isn't the last time I get to do that," Damon whispered. He suddenly sounded very raw and honest. It made Elena's heart break—she had really messed with his emotions this past year and a half and she hated herself for that.

Elena stroked his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips again. She broke the kiss and reached down, rubbing his erection through his jeans. Damon grunted and thrust up into her hand. Elena watched him lustfully. Damon kept thrusting into her hand and it was making her heat up all over again.

"Elena," Damon growled, "Just tell me who you chose."

Elena shook her head.

"Not yet," she whispered. Elena quickly began undoing Damon's belt and zipper. She reached into his pants and grabbed his length, pulling it out. She stroked his length as Damon kicked off the rest of his jeans and pulled off his t-shirt, leaving him bare. Elena watched her hand move up and down his dick in awe. "You're so big," she said.

"Jesus Elena, you have no idea how long I've wanted this," Damon purred. Elena locked eyes with him and stopped pumping him, opening her legs wide and wrapping them around his waist. She pulled him closer to her.

"Then, take me," she whispered. Damon responded instantly, positioning himself at her entrance and pushing in until he filled her completely. Elena arched her back up into him and screamed in pleasure. Damon began pumping into her, slowly at first and then increasingly quicker. Elena did not stop moaning—with each thrust, she let out a different animalistic sound. Elena dug her finger nails into his back, breaking his skin.

"Fuck," Damon grunted.

"Mmm, fuck me, Damon," Elena moaned. Damon sped up and pounded into her harder and faster, rocking her body with each thrust. Damon caught one of her bouncing breasts in his hand and kneaded it. Elena dug her heel into his ass and pulled him deeper into her. Damon felt his balls tighten—he knew he was coming soon, but he still had a mission that he had to finish.

"Tell me," Damon demanded.

"I'm close," Elena whimpered.

"Tell me," Damon commanded with more harshness in his voice. He sped up and Elena screamed louder.

"Y—you!" Elena shouted as her orgasm hit her. Damon came at the same time. The walls of her pussy milked Damon for what he was worth as he spurted his hot seed into her. They came down from their orgasms and Damon fell on Elena's body, breathing heavily. Elena wrapped her arms around Damon's shoulders, securing him to her body. Damon adjusted his position and slipped out of her. Elena pressed her cheek to the crown of his head and flung her calve over his calve. "I chose you, Damon," Elena whispered.

Damon's heart soared to the stars. Elena had actually chosen him. Damon tightened his grip on her and lifted his head. He claimed her mouth, kissing her hard, then tenderly, then hard again. He broke from her lips and peppered kisses all over her face as Elena giggled in joy.

"I love you," Damon said happily.

"I love you," Elena responded, kissing him again. Damon broke the kiss and rested his head on her chest again. Elena entwined her fingers in his hair and let her head fall back to the couch, a happy smile gracing her cheeks. After a moment, Damon spoke up.

"You know what you have to do, right?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"You have to tell the Scooby Gang," Damon said with a joking evil chuckle. Elena shook her head.

"No, I don't," Elena responded. Damon furrowed his brow and looked back up at her; he was worried she meant that she wanted to keep them a secret. Elena framed his face with her hands and looked up at him with a smile. "_We_ have to tell them," she said. Damon felt suddenly relieved at her words—she wanted the world to know. But, as he thought through it, he realized just how terrible it sounded to tell everyone.

"Oh great," Damon said sarcastically with a laugh.

"Eh, you're my boyfriend now. That means you get all the good stuff _and_ the bad stuff," Elena explained, giggling. Damon smiled at her.

"I like that," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "'Boyfriend.'"

Elena stopped giggling and searched his face.

"Me too," she said, wrapping her arms around him again. Damon rested his head on her chest, and Elena searched the ceiling with a genuinely happy smile on her cheeks. Damon's head felt heavy on her chest and his breathing started to even out as they laid there in silence. Damon's eyelids felt heavy, and so did Elena's. She inhaled deeply, reveling in the comfort of the moment. "Me too," she repeated before closing her eyes and eventually falling into the best sleep of her life.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but here you are. Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews! I cannot stress how important they are; they keep me inspired to update. You are all wonderful! I hope you enjoyed this installment and thanks for reading! Please leave a review! :)**


	9. Electricity

**Emotions**

**Installment 9: Electricity**

**Description: There's always that one distraction at a party. For Elena, it's Damon, and it's sizzling.**

**Context: Late season 3 fic. Thanks to XxInsanity With a SmilexX for the request. I hope I did it justice.**

It started the moment he walked into the room: tingles. I stopped speaking mid-sentence and turned to stare at him. He just looked so…gorgeous, not any more than usual, but still. His black hair was wet from the pouring rain outside and it framed his face perfectly. His electric blue eyes shone brighter than usual, and it stole my breath away.

"Hellloooo? Hey Elena!" Caroline said, snapping in front of my eyes. I practically jumped out of my skin and turned to face my obviously-suspicious best friend. She narrowed her eyes at me and asked, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," I insisted, shaking my head. My eyes darted back to the black-haired, blue-eyed vampire that was now leaning against the doorframe. His eyes were scanning the room, and eventually, he locked eyes with me. It was like I was shocked with one-hundred volts of electricity; his blue eyes held so much emotion. I inhaled sharply before letting out a quivering breath. Damon's lips curled up into that little smug smirk of his that always left me burning with rage and desire. I knew that he knew the affect he was having on me.

Damn him.

"Elena!" Caroline said, drawing my attention back to her.

"What?" I asked, jolted once again from my distraction that is Damon.

"Be a little more obvious, will you?" she asked, lowering her voice in an attempt to keep our conversation private.

"I…don't know what you're talking about," I said, feigning ignorance. Caroline flashed me the 'bitch-please' face that she'd been giving me since 9th grade.

"Just admit it, Elena!" Caroline exclaimed loudly. A silence fell across the previously-buzzing room. My heart dropped to my stomach as I stared down Caroline. I swore to God, she'd better not utter another word, especially if that word was 'Damon.' Caroline, luckily, noticed the silence and stopped herself. She looked around for a moment before brandishing a sassy face and saying, "Nothing to see here, everyone."

The silence lasted for only a second longer before people returned to what they were doing. I lowered my voice to a whisper.

"Jesus Car, way to make a scene," I said. I snuck a glance to Damon; he was staring at us. I quickly looked back at Caroline, but I could feel the red blush crawling up my cheeks and the giddy smile pulling at my lips. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You have the hots for Damon," Caroline whispered. My heart leapt to my throat. My eyes darted back to Damon whose eyebrows were now knitted together and his lips were slightly parted. He was leaning forward ever-so-slightly; he was totally eavesdropping. I exhaled deeply before turning back to Caroline.

"Now's not the time," I whispered, trying to keep our conversation private. I knew it failed. Damon would still be able to hear us.

"Yes it is, because you won't stop staring at him and frankly, it's distracting," Caroline said haughtily.

I rolled my eyes. If she was so insistent on having this conversation now, fine, but not under the prying ears of Damon. I grabbed Caroline's arm and pulled her up. I dragged her through the party to my kitchen. When we got in the kitchen, I flipped the switch of the blender, turning it on. A loud _bang, clang, rattle, rattle, bzzzzzzp_ filled the room.

"Okay," I said, crossing my arms. Caroline mirrored my stance and stared me down. We just stared at each other for a little while. I wasn't going to start the conversation. I didn't even want to have the conversation in the first place. If Caroline was so intent on knowing about Damon, then she'd have to do the heavy lifting. I raised my eyebrows at her and waited patiently. Caroline finally gave in.

"Do you love him?" she asked. I furrowed my brows and shook my head, even though I wasn't quite sure that was the truth. Caroline believed me though. She sighed, "Whew, that's a relief." I pursed my lips at her. She sucked on her teeth before hesitantly speaking again, "But you do like him." I nodded and shrugged. She nodded slowly as the reality of the situation sunk into that perfect cream skin of hers. "Okay," she said, "hmm." She was obviously struggling. "So…what do you mean by 'like?'" I shrugged. She grunted. "Like 'like-like' or 'like as a friend' or 'like-lust' or best yet, 'like as a brother," Caroline finished with a hopeful smile on her lips. I rolled my eyes.

"I guess a mix between 'like-like' and 'like-lust,'" I told her. Caroline pursed her lips and nodded slowly and for a second I thought that she might actually be accepting. That thought disappeared when she opened her mouth again.

"Okay…I just have one question," she paused and locked eyes with me. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

I sighed. Of course she'd say that.

"I don't think anything's wrong with me," I said, growing defensive.

"Obviously something is because I mean, are you serious?! Damon?!" Caroline exclaimed. I felt my blood beginning to boil. What right did she have to be so judgmental? I took a predatory step towards her.

"I have feelings for him, Caroline. There's nothing wrong with that. He's changed," I insisted. Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"He's still a psychopath, Elena!" Caroline announced. I pulled my lips into a tight line. Caroline took a step towards me. "What about Stefan?"

The moment his name slipped from her lips, I snapped.

"What about Stefan?" I asked, stepping forward again. I was now right in her face. "Please, tell me about my ex-boyfriend who tried to kill me multiple times, who killed Andie, who called me a human blood bag, who tried to kill his brother, who left bodies scattered up and down the coast! Tell me how I should love all of that, but not Damon. You jump to defend Stefan and judge Damon when they're both just as bad!"

"But Stefan is different!" Caroline exclaimed. I began to worry that the sound of the blender wouldn't be enough to hide our argument, so I lowered my voice.

"How?" I asked harshly.

"He does good things—."

"And Damon doesn't?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. "While Stefan was out on a _murder _spree this summer, Damon has been my rock. He tracked down Stefan, comforted me, kept me safe. Hell, he even kept you safe."

"So, what?" Caroline asked. "Are you just gonna toss all your morals out the window for a lust-filled fantasy?"

"Caroline!" I exclaimed. "I get it, okay?! You hate Damon, but guess what? I don't! I lo—," I stopped and inhaled deeply, "I like him."

"Okay, Elena," Caroline said. "You can make whatever mistakes you want to, but I'm not going to help you make them."

The blender turned off suddenly and I turned to investigate. Standing by the blender was Damon. My heartbeat sped up at the sight of him. Caroline looked between Damon and me; she sighed before walking out of the kitchen, brushing Damon's shoulder on her way out. Damon watched her go with a sarcastic expression on his face before turning back to me.

"Making smoothies, are we?" he asked, looking down at the empty blender. "It seems like you missed a step."

I let a small smile curl across my lips at his joke. His low voice resonated deep in my body like thunder during a storm: it shook the very foundation of my being and once again, I felt that jolt, that burst to life, that desire which only Damon seemed to pull from me.

"What do you want, Damon?" I asked, pretending to be annoyed. We both knew my 'annoyance' was a lie; he could tell by the sound of my heartbeat and the flush on my skin that I was affected by his presence.

Damon didn't immediately respond. Instead, he began taking slow, but sure steps towards me. I stood completely still, watching him with curiosity. His blue eyes were scorching, burning into my skin. He was dawning on me steadily; his lips suggested playfulness, but his eyes suggested dark, passionate desires. This was the side of Damon Salvatore that was primal—he was the predator, I was his prey.

He didn't stop moving, and I was unsure what he was doing. He looked almost dangerous this way and a searing fear reached my heart. I began to back away as he stepped forward. Our bodies were moving in synchronization: one step forward, one step backwards. I didn't know why I was distancing myself; I knew I could trust him, yet my animal instincts kicked in. They were screaming one thing at me: run.

I didn't know what I was supposed to run from: Damon, or my feelings for Damon.

I gasped when my back suddenly hit the fridge. Damon was still prowling forward. He was so close. It was only a matter of seconds before he stopped right in front of me, pinning me between him and the fridge. I stared into his cobalt eyes, searching for answers. I could feel the heat radiating off of his skin. He was so close, but not quite close enough to actually be touching me.

_It's about the beauty of an almost touch_, I thought, remembering back to the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant.

Damon lowered his head ever-so-slightly so that his lips were hovering over mine. I gulped at his proximity. I could feel the tension on my lips; they were alight with sparks, they were tingling. It was like every nerve in my lips was waiting for him.

"Water," Damon whispered, ever so softly. I shivered and my eyelids fluttered shut.

"What?" I whispered back.

"I'm here for water," Damon responded. I opened my eyes to look at him. He smirked down at me before moving to the side, opening the cabinet, and pulling out a glass. I could still feel the heat of his body and it was driving me insane. Damon flipped on the sink with his thumb, letting the glass fill with water.

I could feel his breath on my neck, trailing a hot line across my skin. Sparks of electricity shot out from the skin on my neck and exploded across my body, traveling down my spine and across my fingertips. I let out a very small whimper.

Damon straightened up and assumed his previous position. His lips were just a centimeter away; all I would have to do was lean it…

I swallowed to wet my dry mouth. I glanced between his eyes and his lips.

"Damon…I—," I whispered.

"Got it," he said with a flirtatious smirk, holding up the glass of water. His eyes darted down to my lips and he ran his tongue across his lower lip. I unconsciously copied his movement. Damon's smirk widened. I looked up to his blue eyes; they were darkened with lust. I bit my bottom lip. The sparks on my lips were almost unbearable; I wanted him to kiss me, but at the same time, I didn't. I was worried that if he touched me, even just a little bit, it would be like getting hit by lightning, and that scared me.

Damon examined my face one final time before winking at me with a smug smirk on his cheeks. He pulled away completely, turned around, and walked out of the kitchen. A cold wave of empty air rushed over my body.

I watched as he disappeared around the corner; I let out a quivering breath and sunk to the ground, clutching my knees to my chest.

I could still feel the tingles, the heat, the sparks produced by Damon. I closed my eyes and buried my head in my knees, breathing heavily.

I was completely undone.

**A/N: thanks for reading. please leave your thoughts in the reviews! 3**


	10. PaternalismMaternalism

**Emotions**

**Installment 10: Paternalism/Maternalism**

**Description: Elena makes a promise to babysit, and she wants some company while doing it. She never expected that it would lead to her discovering a whole new side to the closed off Damon Salvatore.**

**Context: Season 3 fic. Thanks to nallemorin for the request. **

**Rating: K**

"Hello?"

"Oh, Elena! Oh, thank God! I was worried you wouldn't pick up!" Mrs. Clark's erratic voice pounded into my ears and I jumped at her almost-shouting volume. It was the day of the quarterly school dance and I was standing in front of my mirror, holding up a variety of dresses to my body. Stefan would be accompanying me tonight and it was kind-of a big deal; this dance would help determine how salvageable our relationship was now that he had returned from Klaus.

"Oh, Mrs. Clark. Hi," I responded.

"I'm so glad you answered. I have a big favor to ask of you," Mrs. Clark said and I exhaled deeply in disappointment. I already knew what she was going to ask of me, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to say no.

"What's that?"

"You know how my husband has his big business Gala tonight? Well, I totally spaced out on it! Can you believe that?!" she paused.

"Oh, no," I said, feigning worry.

"I know! Anyway, I can't find a babysitter for Sabrina and Jacob. I know this is _really_ last minute, but could you do it?" she finished her plea. I sighed and placed the light blue dress that I was testing out onto my bed. I smoothed the skirt down.

"I don't know, Mrs. Clark. I have the school dance tonight."

"Oh honey, I know! But, I would double your pay. AND you can bring a friend to help you out!" Mrs. Clark tried to convince me. I nibbled on my bottom lip in silent contemplation. I knew that Mrs. Clark was holding her breath on the other line. I've known the Clarks my whole life and would always help them. I sighed.

"What time?" I asked.

"Oh, Elena! You're the best!" Mrs. Clark squealed. I pulled the phone away from my ear once more. Mrs. Clark, despite being a 50 year-old housewife, tended to squeal like a teenage girl…or a dying pig. "Come by at five?" I looked at my clock; it read 4:15PM. The dance started at six. I grabbed the stack of dresses sitting on my bed and tossed them into my closet in defeat.

"Of course. See you then," I said.

"Thank you!" Mrs. Clark's voice died out as I hung up my phone.

I sighed and instantly pressed '2' on the speed dial. I raised the phone to my ear and waited patiently as it rang.

"Hello?" Stefan answered.

"Hey, Stefan," I cleared my throat. "I'm so sorry, but I can't go to the dance tonight. Something came up."

"Oh…" Stefan responded. I could hear the disappointment in his voice and internally kicked myself. I hated disappointing the people I cared about. "I get it. What are you doing?" Stefan paused, and I was about to respond when he interjected, "Are you…are you going to be with Damon?"

I furrowed my brow at his assumption and shook my head even though he couldn't see me. I was honestly a little blindsided by his presumption. I mean, Damon and I had gotten close and I cared about him (a lot more than I probably should,) but I wouldn't just ditch one Salvatore for the other. I hoped he thought more of me than that.

"What? No," I defended. "I have to babysit the Clark kids."

"Oh," Stefan responded; his voice wasn't as tense as it was just a moment earlier. He chuckled at himself. "Okay. That's really nice of you to do, Elena," he commended me.

"I suppose. It's not ideal," I responded with a mirthless chuckle.

"Yeah, well, it's pretty selfless of you. One of the qualities I admire most in you," Stefan said.

"Thanks for understanding…one of the qualities I admire most in you." I responded, twirling a piece of hair around my finger.

"_Who's that?!"_ Matt's voice echoed from Stefan's end of the line. The guys all decided that they would spend the day together before the dance to coordinate everything for their dates.

"Elena! She can't make it tonight!" Stefan shouted back.

"_What a loser,"_ Matt joked.

"He knows I can hear him, right?" I asked Stefan. He chuckled.

"He's about to. I gotta go, but I'll see you later. Have fun tonight," Stefan said and I nodded.

"Yep. You too," I responded before lowering the phone from my ear and ending the connection. I pressed the '4' on the speed dial and waited as the phone rang.

"Red or blue?" Caroline answered. I knitted my brows together and sat down on my bed.

"What?"

"Red or blue, Elena!? I have to choose my dress for tonight!" Caroline asked. Her voice was filled with panic. I obviously called her in the middle of a Caroline-emergency.

"Um, I don't know. Red looks good on you."

"Thank you!" Caroline said dramatically. She exhaled and fumbled with her phone, obviously discarding the blue dress. The fumbling stopped and I heard her clear her throat. "So, what are you wearing tonight? Anything specialto surprise a certain Salvatore?" Caroline teased knowingly, but her voice quickly changed from playful to slightly-judgmental. "And by 'certain Salvatore' I mean Stefan…_not_ Damon." I rolled my eyes at her words.

"Not like it actually matters now. I can't go," I said begrudgingly.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed, "You are _not_ allowed to ditch me! Bonnie's already ditching me for her mom and now you!"

"Caroline…" I attempted to reason with her.

"And what about Stefan?! Now he won't have a date and it will be all awkward!" she continued completely unaware of my interjection.

"Caroline!" I shouted demandingly. She shut up instantly. "I have to babysit the Clark kids and I am allowed to bring a friend. I was wondering if you wanted to ditch the dance and help me out?" I asked hesitantly. I knew that asking Caroline to ditch a school dance to watch little children was almost as condemnable as asking a dolphin to grow legs and live on land, but it was worth a shot.

"Elena…" Caroline began. I recognized her tone—she was about to reject me. I huffed and fell back on my bed in defeat.

"It's cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I insisted, raising my hand and tracing invisible patterns on the ceiling.

"Okay…if you're sure…" Caroline paused. "Is there anyone else you can ask?"

I choked up. There was one person…but he was my very last resort.

"Yep…there is," I replied hesitantly. Before Caroline could bombard me with any more questions, I pulled the phone from my ear and hung up on her.

I went back to the dial pad and my thumb hovered over speed dial '1' button. I didn't think Damon would be a very good babysitter, and but desperate times called for desperate measures. I sure as hell wasn't going to give up my Friday night alone. I was determined to bring someone down with me. I clicked the number and raised the phone to my ear.

"Well hello there, beautiful," Damon purred into the phone. His velvety voice erupted goose bumps across my skin and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I shook myself, hating how the mere sound of his voice made me melt. I wasn't supposed to feel that way about Damon, that's how _Stefan_ was supposed to make me feel. My heartbeat spiked and I cleared my throat to make sure my voice wouldn't betray me.

"What are you doing tonight?" I asked.

"Whatever you want me to do," Damon sneered sarcastically, but his voice was playful, "as usual." I smiled into the phone and flipped over onto my stomach, kicking my feet up behind me.

"Great. You're babysitting with me," I said. Damon was completely silent on the other end and I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing.

"Is it too late to retract my offer?" Damon asked. I let a little chuckle escape my lips.

"Yep. Pick me up in twenty?" I requested. Damon grumbled on the other end.

"Fine, but you owe me."

"I always owe you," I teased, somewhat flirtatiously. I caught my flirt and internally shamed myself, reminding myself to stay calm, cool, and collected.

"Oh, do you now? You can bet that I'll collect on that," Damon replied coquettishly. The moment the words fell from his mouth, all my morals disappeared and I knew that I was putty in his hands. I closed my eyes and I could almost see his flirtatious smirk and smiling eyes.

"Is that a threat, or a promise?" I flirted.

"Mmm," Damon growled playfully. The sound blossomed butterflies in my stomach and warmth spread across my body. I pursed my lips to hold back giggles. Somehow Damon made me feel simultaneously sexily mature and childishly giddy. "Both."

"Good," I chuckled a bit and flipped onto my back. "I'll see you soon."

"K bye, Gilbert," Damon responded.

"K bye, Salvatore," I lowered my voice to imitate his tone mockingly. I could practically hear Damon roll his eyes on the other end before he hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>"Elena!" Sabrina and Jacob shouted in unison as they tumbled into my arms. I laughed as I hugged them tightly.<p>

"Hey, kids!" I said, kissing them both on the head.

"Okay Elena. Here's the emergency contact numbers, you can feed them leftovers in the fridge, and _no _ice cream tonight," Mrs. Clark said as she hurriedly grabbed her purse and shawl. Jacob and Sabrina both groaned in disappointment at the ice cream ban. Mrs. Clark kissed me on the cheek and rushed out the door after her husband, not even acknowledging Damon's presence. I wished I had that ability, but unfortunately, Damon always demanded my attention.

The moment the door closed, Jacob and Sabrina stepped out of my arms and looked up at me expectantly. I smiled down at them. Their eyes diverted to the black-haired, blue-eyed vampire standing next to me.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Sabrina asked. I raised my eyebrows and shook my head quickly, trying to ignore the little chuckle that escaped from Damon's lips.

"No, he's—."

"Damon," Damon interrupted. He knelt down until he was eyelevel with the kids. "And I'm more like her bodyguard."

"Damon," I groaned.

"What's bodyguard mean?" Sabrina asked eagerly.

"It means that it's my job to make sure no one hurts your lovely babysitter," Damon responded with a playful smile on his cheeks that I'd never seen before. It made feelings bubble up in my heart that I'd never felt before. A gentle smile curled onto my lips as I watched Damon with the kids.

"Like a ninja?!" Jacob asked; his eyes lit up like fireworks. Damon's eyes narrowed and his smirk widened.

"_Exactly_ like a ninja," he said. A wicked smirk landed on Jacob's lips and he jolted forward, karate chopping Damon on the shoulder. My heart jumped to my throat at the movement; I stood poised, ready to interject and pull Damon back if he were to longue. Damon looked down at where Jacob hit him and then back up at the little boy. He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "Oh, you're gonna regret that," Damon said. His tone was completely playful and I relaxed instantly.

"Oh yeah?" Jacob teased.

"Oh yeah," Damon said. He reached forward and tickled Jacob's stomach. "You better run!" Damon shouted. Jacob giggled uncontrollably and pulled away from Damon. He turned around and ran into the house. Sabrina followed her brother, laughing hysterically as she went.

Damon stood back up. I stared at him with a teasing smile on my face. He very purposefully did not look at me. I cleared my throat. Damon begrudgingly turned to look at me. I wiggled my eyebrows.

"You know Elena, I do have a little brother," Damon said.

"Yeah, but your little brother is Stefan," I responded. Damon rolled his eyes and began walking away from me.

"Believe it or not, we were kids once," Damon called back to me.

"Oh c'mon Damon," I said, "we both know you're still a kid."

The evening was relatively nice considering I was getting constant texts from Caroline about the fun she was having at the dance. Honestly, I didn't care. I was having so much fun with Jacob, Sabrina, and Damon.

The highlight of the evening would have to be when I was giving Jacob a bath. Sabrina and Damon were playing in the kids' room. When I came back from getting Jacob all ready for bed, I walked in on Sabrina dressing Damon up like a princess. I fell over laughing. He looked so adorable with his pout and little crown and wand. The second he saw me, he threw off the crown and wand. He looked officially pissed, but I was still laughing hysterically. Sabrina was trying to get him into a tutu, but apparently, that took it too far.

It was so bizarre seeing Damon like this. He was different around the children: happier. I wondered if this was what he was like when he would spend time with Stefan when they were younger.

I even caught Damon sneaking Jacob and Sabrina some ice cream before bed. I pretended not to notice. Seeing all three of them huddled up by the freezer sneaking ice cream was too cute to stop.

When it came time for bed, I offered to tuck Sabrina and Jacob in, but Damon insisted that I relax and he'd do it himself. I was too tired to argue with him.

I was on my way to the couch when I heard Damon's low voice speaking softly to Sabrina and Jacob in their bedroom. I planned on just strolling right past the partially open door, but Damon's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Well, goodnight," he said.

"Damon?" Sabrina asked with a yawn.

"What?" Damon asked.

"Can you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Ohhh, I don't know, Elena—."

"Please, please, please, please," Sabrina and Jacob begged in unison.

"Oh alright," Damon conceded. I poked my head through the door and saw Damon pull the blankets up to Sabrina and Jacob's chins, tucking them nice and tight. A small smile curled onto my lips and I turned around, sinking down to the floor outside the door. I waited for Damon's story.

Damon inhaled deeply before beginning.

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess…with long brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was stunning: her smile was the kingdom's sunshine and her laugh...her laugh was the chapel's bells," Damon's voice grew distant, almost as though he were lost in nostalgia. I furrowed my brow at his tone and words. Damon continued, "Now, in a land across the lake from the princess, there was another kingdom. This kingdom had two handsome brother princes, each looking for a princess to marry. The younger brother was looking for a princess to marry out of love…the older brother was looking for a princess to marry so he could rule the kingdom. One day, they decided to venture across the lake to find the princess that could give them everything they ever wanted. When the younger brother met the princess, he fell in love immediately. And when the older brother met the princess, he too fell in love, but his heart was clouded with his selfish desires."

"Well, who did the princess love?" Sabrina interjected. There was a long silence and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. This story was just a little too familiar…

"The younger brother, of course," Damon said with a hint of sadness in his voice. You'd have to listen very closely to hear it, but I could. I could always hear the sadness in his voice.

"How do you know that?" Sabrina asked stubbornly.

"Because I'm the storyteller, dumbo," Damon responded sarcastically.

"That's a boring story."

"It's not done yet," Damon said; his voice was oozing sarcasm. There was another silence. "Now, will you let me continue?"

"Yes," Sabrina said with a groan.

"Good. Okay, so the older brother was tainted with selfish desires, but the more he got to know the princess, the more those desires disappeared. He started to feel good again, but she had fallen helplessly in love with his brother. He hated watching them fall in love and plan their life together. That was, until one day, when the kingdom was sleeping, a great, big, evil dragon attacked the city and stole the younger brother. Days and weeks and months passed and the princess wouldn't stop looking for her prince. The older brother, lost in a haze of love for this princess, did everything he could to help her, even though it pained him to do so. After all, he loved his brother and he loved his princess, so he would do anything to guarantee their happiness," Damon paused.

"And?" Jacob asked eagerly. "Did the dragon come back and burn the kingdom?"

Damon scoffed.

"The dragon did come back, but it didn't burn the kingdom. It just dropped off the younger brother. So, at long last, the young prince was reunited with his love, and she with him."

"What happened to the older brother?" Sabrina asked with a yawn.

"What do you want to happen to the older brother?" Damon asked.

"I want him to be with the princess and be happy," Sabrina responded. Her voice was tired; she was half asleep. My heart was throbbing in my chest—I think I might have wanted that too.

"But the princess loves the younger brother," Damon insisted.

"Nah-uh! You don't know that!" Sabrina insisted.

"Yes, I do, you little twer—."

"Does the princess stare at the older brother when he's not looking?" Sabrina asked Damon. Damon sat in silence, finally listening to Sabrina instead of arguing with her. "Does she laugh with him? Is she happy when she's with him?" Sabrina's questions, although rhetorical and directed towards Damon, really made me think. The answer to every question thus far was 'yes.' "Does she tell him everything and hug him when he's sad and is she sad when he's sad?" I sat in stunned silence. For such a young girl, Sabrina had an amazing understanding of love. Maybe love did transcend age. I quickly shook myself from my thoughts. _I don't love Damon_, I reminded myself.

"Okay, okay. The older brother found happiness despite everything and everyone lived happily ever after. Good? Good. Sleep tight kiddos," Damon insisted. I heard him stand up, turn off the lights, and walk to the door. I jumped up and was about to run away when he emerged from the room. Our eyes met and my breath caught in my throat. Damon watched me tenderly as he slowly closed the bedroom door. He took a couple steps toward me. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

"Damon—," I didn't know what to say. Damon stopped moving and watched me curiously, waiting for me to finish. I struggled with the formation of words. "I heard your story," I finally choked out. Damon raised his eyebrows and waited for me to keep talking. I didn't know what I wanted to tell him. My mind was buzzing with possibilities: _I didn't know you felt that way? –Nope, that would be a lie— I care for you? –Yeah, the whole world can see that— I feel what you feel? –Do I?— My feelings for you terrify me and I haven't quite figured out what to do with them yet? –Well, that's the truth, but what good does that do?—_

I must have stood there thinking for too long though because Damon eventually just shrugged and sighed.

"It's just a bedtime story, Elena," he said; I could hear the lie in his words. "Don't read into it."

Damon walked past me, accidentally brushing my shoulder as he went. Tingles exploded across my body at the small touch and I had to inhale sharply just so I wouldn't fall over from the rush that rocked my body. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to focus on my breathing. Finally, I felt composed enough to turn around and walk back into the lion's den that contained the most dangerous lion of them all, Damon Salvatore.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Sorry it took so long to update. Any requests? Let me know. Leave a review with your thoughts on this installment please! Hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Flirtatious

**Emotions**

**Installment 11: Flirtatious**

**Description: Truth or dare games are never innocent...especially when Damon and Elena are involved.**

**Context: Season 3 fic. Stefan is back from being emotionless.**

**Rating: T**

"Truth or dare, Elena?" Caroline asked, leaning back on the couch.

"Uh, dare I guess," Elena said with a shrug.

"Hmm, okay, I dare you to…" Caroline paused, thinking of the worst she could do. She looked around the room at Jeremy, Bonnie, Tyler, Stefan, Matt, and Damon. "Make out with your reflection in the mirror," Caroline finished.

"Wow, creative one, Blondie," Damon said sarcastically.

"I'm not complaining," Elena responded, standing up and walking over to the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a little while. The dare was rather boring and unoriginal, so she decided to make a little show out of it for entertainment. She flipped her hair and flashed a flirty smile. "Well, hello there," she said with a little sashay of her hips. Caroline and Bonnie giggled behind her and Elena choked down a chuckle. "I've never seen you around here before," Elena said, prowling towards her reflection.

"This is the worst seduction I've ever seen," Damon mumbled under her breath. Elena stopped and spun around, placing her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows.

"Like you could do any better," Elena responded haughtily.

"Oh, you know I can," Damon responded with a flirtatious smirk. Elena pursed her lips and rolled her eyes with a sly smile on her cheeks. Her friends watched on in awkward silence at the flirt. They've seen Damon and Elena flirt all summer, but it was especially uncomfortable now with the recently redeemed Stefan spectating.

Stefan cleared his throat, pulling Damon and Elena from their little moment. Elena ran her fingers through her hair and turned back to the mirror, trying to conceal the blush that painted her cheeks. She inhaled deeply and when she felt composed enough, she quickly kissed her reflection a couple times before walking back to the group.

"Okay, my turn?" Elena asked when she sat back down on the couch.

"Mhm," Caroline said.

"Alright. Damon, truth or dare?" Elena asked, turning on the blue-eyed, black-haired vampire. Damon's cobalt eyes narrowed wickedly. His pink lips curled into a dangerous smirk, forming perfectly around his hauntingly white teeth. He looked damn delicious and it terrified Elena.

"Dare," Damon purred with a subtle wink. Elena nibbled on her bottom lip to sustain from giddily smiling. She knew that she should stop being so flirtatious with Damon while all of her friends and Stefan were watching, but flirting with Damon had become one of her favorite pass times and it was hard to stop once she got started.

_Oh well, _Elena thought, _it's just a harmless flirtation._

"Alright Mr. Big Ego," Elena said, leaning forward on her hands and returning Damon's wicked smile. "If you're so good at seduction, I dare you to seduce someone in this room."

Damon sighed and leaned back in his chair. His eyes scanned the room: Caroline was glaring at him, Stefan seemed anxious and somewhat uncomfortable, Jeremy wore an expression that said, 'if you so-much-as touch my sister, I'll kill you." Damon didn't care though. He shrugged and turned his gaze back to Elena.

"You asked for it," Damon said. He stood up and stared down Elena with an intense look in his eyes: it was searing and Elena squirmed under his glare. She felt heat flood her body; she was completely flushed and he hadn't even touched her…yet.

Damon smirked at Elena, reading her body's reaction to his coquettish stare. He ran his fingers through his hair and when he lifted his arms, his black shirt rode up ever-so-slightly, displaying just a taste of the delicious ivory skin that lay underneath. Elena's eyes drifted down to the exposed skin and she unconsciously gulped. She could see his happy trail and the definition of his muscles creating the 'v' leading down to his pants.

_Jesus…_Elena thought, feeling herself warm up even more. She was beginning to regret her dare.

Damon took a couple slow steps towards her; his movements were torturous. Damon sunk down to his knees in front of Elena. Elena inhaled deeply and tried to scoot back further into the couch to put some distance between them.

Damon was toxic and he was addicting; Elena didn't completely trust herself with him.

Damon looked up at her with those gorgeous blue eyes and he flashed her an almost-coy smile that made Elena's heart flutter in her chest.

"How are you doing today, beautiful?" Damon asked; his velvety voice was low and smooth. Elena felt weak at the knees, but she refused to let her weakness be seen. So, instead, she resorted to criticism.

"Oh, c'mon Damon, that's the _worst_ line," Elena said. Her joking behavior seemed to ease some tension because her friends visibly relaxed. Damon, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes predatorily. He took that as a challenge.

Damon placed his hands on Elena's knees, obviously upping his game. Elena practically jumped out of her skin at the contact—it was electric. His cold skin contrasted perfectly with her overheating skin. Damon moved closer to Elena until his lips were hovering only inches above hers.

Elena's breathing quickened and her heartbeat sped up to almost unhuman speeds. And just like that, all the other people in the room disappeared and Elena could only see Damon.

"Tell me what you want most in this world, Elena," Damon whispered. Elena could feel his breath on her cheeks and her eyelids fluttered shut. She inhaled deeply, trying to center herself.

"I-I don't know," Elena stuttered. And it was the truth. She used to know what she wanted, but that has changed over the past summer. She had gotten so close to Damon, but she still had an obligation to Stefan.

"That's a lie," Damon whispered. Elena's heartbeat hammered in her chest. "You want what everyone wants."

"What's that?" Elena whispered. Damon scooted closer to Elena and placed his hands on the couch, pinning her to it.

"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger," Damon purred. Elena furrowed her brow, getting a brief feeling of déjà vu. She quickly shook herself from it and opened her eyes. Damon's blue eyes were captivating, holding her in place. Elena inhaled sharply, letting the truth of Damon's words sink into her skin.

This no longer felt like a small dare in a harmless game…no, this had become a little too real for anyone's comfort.

Elena's friends watched as Damon successfully seduced Elena. Caroline glanced at Stefan: he was obviously very upset by the scene in front of him, and she decided it was time to jump in.

"Alright, that's enough. Dare done, snap out of it," Caroline announced, clapping her hands a couple times.

Both Damon and Elena jumped and Damon pulled back from Elena completely. Elena felt a wave of coldness rush over her and she collapsed to the couch, breathing heavily. Elena placed her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply a couple times. When she felt fully composed, she opened her eyes and leaned forward, ready to continue the game.

Elena looked around at the faces of her friends. She had never seen so much disapproval in her entire life.

"My turn now, is it?" Damon asked nonchalantly, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah," Elena responded.

"Elena, truth or dare?" Damon asked.

"Truth," she said, figuring it was the safest route.

"Boring," Damon declared. Elena rolled her eyes at him. "Fine whatever, have you ever—."

"I have a question," Stefan interrupted Damon, leaning forward in his seat. All eyes turned to him. His green eyes were ridden with a mix of sadness and anger, and Elena instantly knew that she was in for a storm. "How long have you been in love with my brother, Elena?" Stefan asked.

A deafening silence fell over the room. Elena could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

Elena looked to Caroline and then to Bonnie and then to Matt and then to Damon for help, but no one made a move to change the subject. They were all just as curious as Stefan was.

"I—don't know what you're talking about," Elena finally responded. Stefan sighed and then shook his head.

"Elena, please don't lie to me," Stefan said.

"I'm not lying to you!" Elena lied. "There's absolutely _nothing_ between me and Damon."

"Hmm," Damon interjected. Elena turned her attention to him. She could see the pain crawling into his blue irises and she instantly knew that she messed up big time. She spoke too quickly—she didn't even think of the effect her words would have on the elder Salvatore. Of course there was something between Damon and her, and her denial of it had obviously broken his heart. She really had a skill for doing that. "Right," Damon said, standing up. He started walking towards the door.

"Wait! Damon!" Elena shouted after him.

"It's okay, Elena," Damon said, opening the door. "It'll always be Stefan," he finished, walking out into the rainy night and slamming the door behind him.

Elena buried her head in her hands for a few seconds in shame, but her head quickly popped up. She jumped out of her seat and started running for the door.

"Elena! Stop!" Caroline shouted, but Elena ignored her. Elena reached the front door and opened it quickly.

"Elena! Let him go!" Matt insisted.

"No!" Elena shouted back before running out into the rain, closing the door behind her. Elena looked around into the night—she could barely see anything. It was pouring and she was already soaking wet. "Damon!" Elena shouted. She ran off the porch and into the empty street. "Damon!" she shouted again, spinning around and scanning her surroundings; she couldn't see him anywhere. "Damon!" Elena shouted once more.

"Elena!" Damon's voice sounded from behind her. Elena spun around quickly to find the elder Salvatore looking her over with concern in his eyes. "Are you crazy?! It's freezing out here!"

"I couldn't just let you go!" Elena shouted over the sound of the rain.

"Elena…"

"Damon, I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said back there!" Elena said.

"Yes, you did!" Damon insisted. They were both speaking loudly because the sound of the rain was almost deafening.

"I know there's something between us!" Elena shouted. "I've known it for a long time! It was wrong of me to deny it!"

"What are you saying, Elena?!" Damon asked.

"I'm saying that this summer should've been hell for me, but somehow you made it fun! I'm saying that even with all the death in my life, you've made me feel invincible and alive! I'm saying that my day isn't complete until I see you and when I don't see you I'm lost!" Elena shouted. Damon watched on in awe, waiting for her to finish. "I'm saying that I know that there's _more_ than just _something_ between us! I'm saying—I guess I'm saying that I've fallen in love with you, Damon! And I'm sorry that I said that back there, I was scared and Stefan blindsided—."

Damon didn't let her finish her sentence; he closed the distance between them, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her into a passionate kiss. Elena responded immediately, cupping his face in her hands and matching his expert kisses.

She had never felt so good before; she had kissed Damon once before, but that was confusing. This kiss, on the other hand, came from mutually pronounced love. That's not to say that it wouldn't be hard for Damon and Elena, but at least now Elena wasn't torn between her feelings for Damon and her feelings for Stefan. Now there was only Damon, and even though the wind and the rain were freezing her to her bones, Damon's lips kept her warm.

Elena knew that Damon would always keep her warm.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this update. I'm still taking requests if anyone has any. Thanks for reading and please leave your thoughts in the reviews!**


	12. Emotionless

**Emotions**

**Installment 12: Emotionless**

**Description: Elena has her emotions turned off, and Damon and Stefan are trying to bring her back. When Elena comes around looking for some pleasure, Damon thinks he might be able to kill two birds with one stone.**

**Context: Season 4 fic.**

**Rating: M for mature language and smut.**

I messed up. Big time.

It seemed like a good idea at first; after all, Elena was suffering and flipping the switch was always temporary among vampires. I also thought that I could easily bring her back by using the sire bond, but, I was wrong.

Big shock.

It's painful, seeing Elena like this. She's not the girl that I fell in love with—she resembles Katherine, and the worst part is that everyone thinks I like her better like this. Stefan keeps making snide comments to me about how I "turned Elena into this on purpose."

And he tells me that I make no sense? I've always loved Elena for the way that she is, or I guess, was: her smile, her heart, her joy. God dammit, I miss watching her chocolate brown eyes swirl with emotions, even if those emotions were bad. Now, whenever I look into her eyes, it's like watching stones; they're unmoving, cold, empty. It stings my heart and every day I regret robbing her of her humanity.

Stefan just stormed off upstairs in a hissy. He's been especially sensitive recently and my joke about him being a murderer apparently pushed a button. Oh well, I'll give him a few minutes to journal and cry and he'll go right back to his normal brooding self.

I fix myself a glass of bourbon and sit down on the couch, carelessly kicking my feet up on the coffee table. Tonight is gonna be a long night. I close my eyes and exhale, trying to calm down and push out all thoughts of Elena. I'm sick of being ridden with guilt for what I did; I'll just try not to think of her.

"Well, hello there, just who I was looking for," a voice sounds from directly in front of me.

My eyes pop open and I groan in annoyance the second my eyes fall on her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask. My eyes scan up her body—she's wearing tight black yoga pants with a tight black tank top and a studded leather jacket. Her red stilettos make her long legs seem even longer. Her hair falls around her shoulders in waves of brown and she's wearing red lipstick dark enough to kill, and damn me if she doesn't look absolutely fuckable. I feel myself growing in my jeans and adjust my position to hide it; I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

"I'm bored," Elena complains. She moves to the fireplace and leans against the wall, staring into the flames.

"Tough shit," I say. A little chuckle escapes her lips; it sounds dark and it terrifies me. This is not Elena Gilbert—this must be Katherine Pierce.

"Remember the last time we had a little 'talk' by this fireplace, Damon?" she asks, turning to face me. Her eyes gleam with wickedness, but they're still cold…so damn cold. I raise my eyebrows at her and take a swig of bourbon, trying to look disinterested. She flashes me a devilish smile and takes a few steps towards me, swaying her hips more than usual. "I guess 'talk' is the wrong word for it. I suppose it was more of a fuck."

I groan, feeling my jeans press up against me uncomfortably. The bitch is good…she's really good.

"What do you want, Elena?" I ask, raising my glass to my lips.

"Isn't it obvious?" she responds, sitting next to me on the couch. "I want you to fuck me again, Damon."

I lower the glass slowly, somewhat caught off guard by her request.

"What?" I ask.

"Oh, c'mon Damon, don't tell me you've never thought about fucking me like this."

"I actually haven't," I lie.

"Mhm," she says with disbelief. She scoots closer to me on the couch and places her lips right by my ear. "So you've never thought of how I would fuck when I don't have any bullshit emotional ties? How _rough_ it would be? How _primal_?" she purrs and my jeans tighten. I unconsciously growl low in my throat.

"Don't do it," a voice sounds from the doorway. Elena sighs in annoyance and falls back to the couch. I look over my shoulder to find Stefan glaring at me.

Just fucking great.

"Wasn't planning on it, brother," I say, turning back towards the fireplace. "Do you honestly have that little trust in me?"

"You'd be taking advantage—."

"Oh, c'mon Stefan, don't take out your jealousy on Damon," Elena interrupts, standing up and turning on Stefan with an expression that could kill. She looks so damn indifferent, uninterested. "It's nothing personal—Damon's just a little better in bed."

I raise my eyebrows at her. Damn, she really has become a stone cold bitch.

"Damon," Stefan says, dismissing Elena's commentary.

"Yes?" I ask, turning to face him.

"Come," he says, gesturing for me to follow him and he turns around, walking down the hallway. I roll my eyes and stand up. I turn to Elena and glare at her for a second.

"Stay," I demand, pointing to the ground like she was a dog. Elena narrows her eyes at me, but doesn't move. I catch up with Stefan by the front door. "You know I wasn't going to—."

"Actually, I think maybe you should," Stefan whispers. I raise my eyebrows at him in shock and furrow my brow.

"What changed your mind, brother?" I ask with only a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Sex is…um, an emotional act," Stefan says, sounding almost like a skittish 12-year-old who still thought 'sex' was a dirty word.

"Maybe for you, but not for her," I argue.

"It could be," he whispers.

"No, it can't," I insist, "not with me at least."

Stefan stares at me in silence for a second.

"Are you honestly going to tell me that your night with Elena after the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant was completely devoid of emotion?" Stefan asks. I look down at the ground momentarily.

"We both know the only reason that happened was because of the sire bond," I admit, even though it's painful to say. Stefan looks at me with what-almost-looks-like sympathy and for a second, I forget that he and I have been feuding for decades…he is still my baby brother.

"She's wanted you for a long time, Damon, and she wants you now. Maybe it was the sire bond that led her to sleeping with you, but that doesn't mean that she didn't have feelings for you. She's always had some feelings for you. I've always seen it," Stefan says. I stand in silence for a minute, letting his words sink in.

Stefan actually wanted me to sleep with Elena. It was a Hail Mary, but fuck it, it's all we've got.

"Okay, I'll do it," I say.

"Okay. Excuse me if I don't want to be in the house during," Stefan says, turning around and opening the front door. He looks back at me over his shoulder and says, "Good luck," before shutting the door behind him.

"Well," her vixen voice sounds from behind me. I turn around to find her leaning against the wall with her arms crossed haughtily. She flashes me a wicked smirk. "Looks like we've got ourselves a fun night planned."

I don't respond. Instead, I prowl towards her seductively. If she wants seduction, I'd give her seduction. When I reach her, I place my hands on her hips and lean in for a kiss, but she stops me by raising one red-painted long fingernail to my lips. I narrow my eyes at her.

"I don't want to make love, Damon," she insists. "I want it rough, okay?"

"I'm not one to say no to some rough sex," I whisper. I lean in for a kiss again and this time, she doesn't stop me.

God, she tastes just as heavenly as I remembered. I close my eyes and let myself melt into her kiss. But, something's different. Her lips aren't as eagerly returning my kiss as they used to. I mean, she's into it, but she seems almost disinterested.

She pulls away from the kiss.

"Stop kissing me like I'm your girlfriend, Damon," she says. I groan internally. "Kiss me like you hate me."

"I can't hate you," I whisper.

"Even if I tell you that you've never been anything more to me than a nice body to fuck then toss when I'm ready to go back to your brother?" she responds.

That does it. I can't hate her, but I sure-as-hell can be pissed at her.

I growl predatorily and tighten my grip on her waist, spinning her around until her back slams with the wall. She reaches forward and places her hands on my shoulders, but I grab them and pin them to the wall. She watches me lustfully and I tighten my grip on her wrists.

I know that she only said what she said to pull a reaction from me, but I don't care. I'm pissed, and if she wants rough, I'd give her rough.

I adjust so I'm holding both her hands in only one of my hands. I grab the front of her tank top with my free hand and yank back, ripping the black fabric off her skin.

"I liked that shirt," she whispers breathlessly.

"I don't care," I respond. I reach my head down and bite the bridge of her bra. I rip it with my teeth, leaving her top completely bare to me. Her chest is heaving and God, she looks so delectable.

I reach down and hook my thumbs into the waistline of her pants and panties. I pull down her skin tight leggings and lacey thong without any hesitation. She kicks them off her ankles and wraps her long legs around my waist. I reach down and unzip and unbutton my jeans, pulling them down around my hips, freeing myself. I'm harder than I thought I was.

I position myself at her entrance and push in without any warning. She arches her back and moans. God, I love her moans—I've missed them. She feels so nice and tight around me. I feel sparks crawl across my skin.

I start thrusting my hips up hard and quickly. I bury my nose in her hair, unable to look into her dead eyes (talk about a major turn off.) She's screaming her pleasure and I think for a second, _isn't pleasure an emotion?_ But then I remember that pleasure for her is nothing but physical. I pick up my pace at the realization, trying to take out some of my pent up frustration.

Her body is rocking and the skin on her back is being gripped by the bricks of the wall. The rough bricks must have torn her skin because I can smell her blood; it only fuels me. I tighten my grip on her wrists and growl as I move in her tight wetness. She feels great, but it's not the same.

"I'm close," Elena moans and I grit my teeth. I'm right there with her, but I want her to cum first. I suck her nipple into my mouth and gently nibble on it. She screams as she comes—the walls of her pussy milking me and I follow her quickly, tumbling into a haze of bliss.

This is usually the part where we hold each other. She usually lets out a little giggle that sounds so damn innocent (which is ironic considering what we just did.) She usually collapses against my chest and gently traces the outline of my abs with feather light fingertips.

I wonder if the plan worked. I wonder if fucking her had brought her back. But, that wonder is quickly wiped away as she untangles herself from under me and mindlessly starts collecting her clothes from the ground. I watch her in silence. She stands back up and her eyes are still cold. Hurt reaches my heart and I wish for a second that I was also emotionless just so I wouldn't have to feel the pain of her loss.

She walks over to me and grabs the front of my black shirt. She starts undoing my buttons and I furrow my brow at her.

"You owe me a shirt," she answers the question that I never even asked.

"You still have clothes in Stefan's room," I respond. "Get one of your own shirts."

"Nah," she says, peeling the shirt off my shoulders. She puts it on and walks to the door. She looks back at me and bats her long black eyelashes. "Thanks bad boy," she says before leaving the house.

I look back at the wall where I fucked her—her blood stains it. I stare at it blankly for a while, wondering what to do with it. I decide not to do anything. After all, Elena's not the only one who can not care. The only difference is that she's not pretending.

The next night she comes back to me. I wasn't expecting it, but I wasn't complaining. This time I fuck her for my sake, not hers, not my brother's. I fuck her because I'm angry and bored and lonely. She wants it rough again and I fulfill her wants. Part of me still hopes that sex will bring back her emotions; a bigger part of me knows that's unlikely. But then, she kisses me on that sweet spot on my jaw right below my earlobe that only she knows about and I think for a second that maybe she's come back to me. But when I pull back and look into her eyes, all I see is the wall that she put up when she flipped her switch. She's still gone.

This same shit happens for weeks. I don't know why I keep letting her in, maybe because the thought of her going to someone else for pleasure tortures me more than letting her use me. Stefan's pissed about it. He tells me that this has moved beyond a one-time Hail Mary and that I'm taking advantage of her. He has no idea how hard it is for me.

It's the same every time. She slips into my bedroom and strips down to nothing and begs me to make it rough and I do. We finish and she steals a piece of my clothing (a shirt, boxers, or sweats; it depends on whatever I've destroyed of hers.) She flashes me a wicked smile that doesn't reach her eyes and leaves. She's stopped thanking me, not like it was ever genuine.

But, tonight it's different. I'm making it different. I'm lying in bed, waiting for her. She slips in through my window and I look at my clock.

10:20pm, almost like clockwork.

I hear her start to strip and I turn around to look at her. The moon illuminates her skin as she tosses her clothes to the corner of the room. She stares at me and cocks her head to the side. She knows that something's different because usually by this time I've got her pinned somewhere and am devouring her.

"I know that you don't have any feelings," I say, standing up and walking towards her. I'm already naked.

"Damon—."

"Shh," I whisper. I reach her and grab her hand, entwining our fingers. "I know that you don't have any feelings _for me_, but I have feelings for you." I gently tug on her hand, pulling her towards my bed. She follows hesitantly. I internally sigh in relief—I didn't think I would get this far. "I love you, Elena," I whisper, gently pushing her onto my bed and crawling on top of her. I stop when my body is fully blanketing hers. I stare into her eyes—they're watching me with curiosity, but they're still dull, closed off. I choke down my pain. I lift my hand, brushing a strand of her soft brown hair of her face. She furrows her brow and I kiss the lines on her forehead. "I love you and I want to show you just how much."

She opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off with a kiss. At first, her lips are hard, unmoving, but then she melts into the kiss and opens her mouth. Our tongues tangle together slowly and sweetly. I taste every part of her mouth, feel every curve of her body, and smell the lavender of her shampoo.

At first, she lies still, but then, her body relaxes and she runs her hand down my bicep. When she reaches my hand, she entwines our fingers and strokes the inside of my palm with her thumb. Everything feels warm, right. She entwines her other hand in my hair and holds me close to her.

She hikes her leg up and around my waist. I position myself at her entrance. I break the kiss and look into her eyes.

Still cold. Fuck. But, I can't stop now.

She gives me a little nod and I push into her, filling her completely. She whimpers and closes her eyes.

"No," I whisper. Her eyes pop open. "Watch me."

We don't break eye contact as I slowly move in her. She whimpers and moans with each thrust; I occasionally grunt in pleasure. She feels so damn good around my cock.

I pick up pace a bit and she moans louder. I feel her walls tighten.

"I'm—."

"I know," I grunt, speeding up my thrusts. I drop my head to her neck and pepper kisses across her clavicle. I hover my mouth above her ear. "I love you," I whisper. "I love you so much."

"Damon…" she moans. Elena moaning my name continues to be the only time I've ever really loved my name. She cherishes it like a gem and I know I don't deserve it.

"I love you," I repeat. I have to remind her. I have to remind her that even with all the pain in her life, she still has my love. She'll always have my love, even if she never turns her emotions back on.

I continue to thrust, going faster and deeper with each pump of my hips. She's so close; I need her to see me when she comes.

I lift my head and lock cobalt blue with chocolate brown. There's still indifference in her eyes, but I'm learning to not care.

"I love you, Elena, no matter who you are," I whisper. "I promise to always love you, even if you never love me back, even if you never love again." She shuts her eyes and pushes her head back into the pillow, her mouth forming an 'o' as her orgasm washes over her. I thrust a few more times before I cum with her.

After I ride out my orgasms, I collapse on her chest, breathing heavily. Elena's untangles her fingers from my hair and lets go of my hand. I think that she's about to slip out without so much as a word again, but instead, she wraps her arms around my shoulders and holds me. I furrow my brow. Is it possible?

I feel her chest heave and a sound escape her lips. I furrow my brow even more. Her chest heaves again and the same sound escapes her lips. What is that? Is she—is she sobbing?

I lift my head and look at her. Her eyes are shut tightly and lines of tears streak her cheeks.

My heart overflows with joy, even though she's crying, she's _feeling._

"Elena," I say, wiping her tears with the back of my hand.

"I—I," she says in between sobs, "I killed that waitress."

"Hey, hey, listen," I respond, trying to soothe her. It doesn't work. Her eyes pop open and they are overflowing with emotions. Literally. She's crying really hard. "It'll be okay."

"No, Damon!" Elena shouts. She pushes me off and I fall on my back. I stand up quickly and pull on a pair of my PJ pants, preparing for the worst. Elena stands up from the bed, dragging the sheet with her. She places her hand on her head. She looks so flustered. "I—I almost killed Bonnie!" Elena shouts. "And all those things—those things I said to Caroline, and Stefan, and—and you! And oh God! Jeremy!"

Elena turns from my room and blurs out.

Fuck.

I run after her, tapping into my vampire speed. I find her standing in the living room. She picks up the glass tumbler filled with bourbon.

"Elena!" I shout.

"NO!" she screams, throwing the tumbler into the fire. Flames explode from the fireplace, barely missing Elena.

"What's going on in here?!" Stefan's voice sounds from behind me. I turn around to look at him. Stefan's eyes switch from me to Elena and his eyes widen. "You got her emotions back?"

"Yes, now howabout you stop pondering the 'how' and 'why' and help me out?!" I demand.

Stefan jumps to action. He runs over to Elena and grabs her shoulders, forcing her to stay still. She tries to squirm out of his grip, but he holds her in place using his superior strength.

"Elena! Elena! Look at me!" Stefan demands. Elena stops and stares at him. He continues, "You're feeling all the pain of your life all at once and it's heightened because you're a vampire. I know, I've been there many times. Elena, you have to search within yourself to find that one emotion that keeps you going. Find it and cling onto it. Hold onto it with all you've got."

Elena calms down immediately. Her eyes drop to the ground and I stand in complete shock, totally unprepared for what might come next.

Eventually, she lifts her eyes and meets with mine. Her chocolate brown eyes are twinkling with…no, really?

She takes a few unstable steps towards me. She pauses and stares at me. I stare back at her with a furrowed brow. What is even happening right now?

"Elena?" I ask.

The moment her name escapes from my lips she takes a few hurried steps towards me, closing the distance between us and cups my face with her hands. She pulls me into a tenderly passionate kiss. Our lips meld together perfectly. My heart flies with joy.

Elena breaks the kiss and presses her forehead to mine, stroking my cheeks with her thumbs. I've never felt more alive…more human…more joyful in my entire life.

"I love you," she whispers, pecking me on the lips, "I love you no matter who you are, too."

And just like that, everything: all the pain, all the sadness, all the hurt that I had endured the past month, was suddenly worth it.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading. Please leave your thoughts in the reviews!**


	13. Curiosity

**Emotions**

**Installment 13: Curiosity**

**Description: Damon hears a rumor that Elena's dreaming of him, and he's curious to find out if the rumor is true.**

**Context: Mid-late season 2 fic.**

**Rating: T**

"Aren't you just a _little_ bit curious?"

"No," Damon responded, turning around and walking up the stairs.

"I know I am," Katherine declared, following him up the stairs. He rolled his eyes.

"Stop following me."

"No," Katherine said, following Damon into his room. Damon tried to shut the door in her face, but she caught it with one perfectly pampered hand and pushed it open. Damon groaned and gave up, falling on his bed. Katherine sat on the edge of his bed and stared at him. "I bet she's dreaming of you," she said.

Damon heaved a sigh and covered his face with a pillow, trying to block out the annoying buzzing that was Katherine Pierce. He failed.

"Oh c'mon Damon, even a blind person could see that she has the hots for you," Katherine said.

"I'm not invading her dreams Katherine, so drop it," Damon responded.

"Oh, look at you being all noble and white-knighty," Katherine purred, lying down on her stomach next to him. "I thought I killed that part of you when I changed you."

Damon groaned and threw the pillow off his head, turning on his side to face her.

"I hate you, did I tell you that?"

"Not today, but it's good to have the reminder," Katherine paused. "So, are you gonna—?"

"Why do you even care?" Damon interrupted her. "I didn't think you would show so much interest in my love life."

"Hey, I used to _be_ your love life, I have a right to be curious about it now," Katherine insisted. Damon raised his eyebrows at her skeptically. Katherine sighed and gave in. "Okay, you're right. I don't care about your love life, Damon, but I do care about Stefan's."

"So what if she is dreaming of me?" Damon asked. "That doesn't change the fact that Stefan is helplessly in love with her, and even if he wasn't, he still wouldn't love you."

"You always were such a pessimist, Damon," Katherine said. "But, I'm not. Stefan loved me once, you know. Then, he went and fell in love with my doppelganger. He may not know it yet, but he still has a little something for me. I want to see if Miss Goody-Two-Shoes Elena Gilbert isn't as good as Stefan thinks."

Damon laid there in complete silence, letting Katherine's words sink in. He was curious. He wanted to know if Katherine was right—he wanted to know if Elena had some subconscious attraction to him.

"Nope, no, never," Damon responded after a while. "Now, get out of my room."

He stood up and grabbed Katherine by the arm, dragging her out of his room and slamming the door in her face.

* * *

><p>Damon couldn't believe he was actually doing this. If Elena ever found out, he would be dead. But nonetheless, his curiosity got the better of him.<p>

Damon stood in the corner of Elena's room, watching her chest rise and fall with her breath. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Damon always loved watching her sleep, but he hadn't invaded her dreams in a long time. He still felt guilty about it sometimes, but Katherine had really gotten into his head—he needed to know.

Elena made a small noise and rolled over in her sleep. Damon watched her with gentle eyes. He focused on her entirely and next thing he knew, he was transported into the confines of her mind.

"_Elena! Wait up!" Caroline's voice sounded. Damon watched as the blonde vampire caught up to the brunette human. They were in the Mystic Falls city courtyard. _

"_Hey," Elena said. _

"_Where are you off to?"_

"_The Grille," Elena responded. She began walking towards the restaurant; Caroline fell in stride with her._

Damon pursed his lips. This wasn't nearly as exciting as he had hoped it would be.

_The girls walked into the Grille and Elena's eyes scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of place. Her high school peers were joking around and playing pool, Matt was busting a table, Bonnie was sitting by the fireplace engrossed in a book. It was like Damon was looking through Elena's eyes; he saw everything she saw in the exact same way she saw it. Elena's eyes darted to the bar and that's when everything changed._

_Dream-Damon was sitting at the bar, nursing a bourbon. If there was such thing as tunnel vision, this was it. Everyone else blurred in Elena's peripheral vision, she could barely hear the previously-deafening noise of the Grille, but dream-Damon was clear. _

Damon's jaw dropped. He wondered if this was how Elena always saw him, or if it was just her dream. Nonetheless, his heart soared.

_Elena quickly began walking towards Damon; it was like she had no control over her body._

"_Elena! Wait!" Caroline shouted after her._

"_No, I've waited long enough," Elena responded. She marched right up to dream-Damon, spun him around, and without any hesitation, pressed her lips to his. She melted into the kiss and moaned into his mouth. She climbed onto his lap until she was straddling him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Elena broke the kiss and dropped her head to Damon's shoulder, burying her nose in his neck. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the odd sense of peaceful happiness._

"_Elena!"_

_Elena jumped off of Damon's lap and turned around to find Stefan, watching her with pain in his green irises. His eyes were watering and his mouth was partially open._

_An overwhelming amount of guilt washed over Elena; she opened and closed her mouth, gaping like a fish out of water._

"_Stefan—I—I'm sorry, I—."_

Elena jolted up in bed, breathing heavily. Her eyes instantly fell on the dark figure standing in the corner of the room.

"Damon!" Elena shouted. She jumped out of bed and charged towards him.

"Elena—I swear, I didn't—."

"Get out!" Elena screamed, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards the window. "Get out, you terrible, _terrible_ monster!" she practically pushed him out the window and when he was gone, she closed the window and fell against the wall. She buried her head in her hands and tried to focus on her breathing, replaying the haunting dream in her mind.

* * *

><p>"Please Bonnie, I need you to do this," Elena begged.<p>

"I'd rather just kill him," Bonnie said, closing her locker and giving her full attention to Elena. "Did he really do that?"

"Mhm," Elena said. "Are you really that surprised?"

"I guess not," Bonnie said with a shrug.

"I really need this, Bon," Elena insisted. "I'm spending the night at Stefan's tonight."

Bonnie sighed.

"Of course," Bonnie said. "We'll do the spell afterschool."

And surely enough, Bonnie did cast a spell over Elena. The spell aimed to protect Elena's subconscious mind from any vampire intrusion.

Elena told Bonnie that she didn't want Damon to have access to her mind anymore, but that was only part of the truth. In reality, Elena was curious—last night wasn't her first dream of Damon and she had to know if he was planting these dreams, or worst yet, if she was dreaming them all by herself.

When Elena went to the Boarding House that evening, she tried to avoid Damon. She didn't want to deal with his apology. She was genuinely pissed and just wanted to spend the night with Stefan. Luckily, Damon was out that evening and Stefan and Elena had the house to themselves.

* * *

><p>"<em>Elena, I'm sorry."<em>

"_I don't want to hear it, Damon."_

"_Seriously," Dream-Damon grabbed Elena's arm and forced her to look at him. His gorgeous blue eyes were clear with a sparkling honesty. It stole Elena's breath away. "I would_ never_ do that to you. Not anymore."_

"_Damon…" Elena said hesitantly._

"_Do you trust me, Elena?" Dream-Damon asked. His voice was soft and sincere._

"_Uh…yes," Elena admitted._

"_Good," Dream-Damon responded. "Then, you trust me to do this?" He grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers. Elena looked down at the gesture and inhaled sharply. "And this?" he asked, pulling her into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and propped his chin up on her head, swaying her gently to a song that only they could hear. Elena fell into an easy rhythm with him. She wrapped her arms around his waist without any hesitation and swayed with him. "I love you, Elena," he whispered._

_Elena felt tears swell up in her eyes. Her heart thundered in her chest. She had never felt so free before and it terrified her, and hearing Damon's love confession burst open floodgates that Elena didn't even know she put up._

_Tears started streaking down Elena's cheeks and she turned her head ever-so-slightly, pressing a gentle kiss to the bare skin of Damon's sternum with quivering lips. She squeezed her eyes shut and clung onto him tightly._

Elena woke up with wet eyelashes. She pushed herself up and rested against the bedframe, clutching her knees to her chest. She snuck a quick look at her boyfriend, Stefan, who was sleeping peacefully next to her. She buried her head in her knees, squeezing her eyes tightly.

She thought back to her dream, to the way it felt to reciprocate Damon's feelings. She thought back to his eyes—she's always loved those eyes, but she never let herself consciously love those eyes. She thought back to his lips—so tempting, they've always been tempting, but she's always pinned it as nothing more than lust.

This was more than lust.

And she was in charge of her dreams. That was obvious now. Bonnie's spell had definitely worked; Damon was nowhere to be found, yet Elena had dreamed of him.

She wanted him, on more than just a physical level. That much was undeniable now.

Elena heard the front door open and the gentle thud of footsteps downstairs. Her head popped up: Damon was home.

She heard him walk to the parlor, pause, walk to the bourbon, pour himself a glass, walk to the couch, plop down.

She remembered her outburst at him last night, the way she pushed him out of the house, the harsh words she used against him. Elena's heart was pierced with guilt. She needed to talk to him.

Elena crawled out of bed, careful to not wake Stefan and she tiptoed downstairs. When she reached the opening of the parlor, she saw the back of Damon's head. He was staring into the fireplace, watching the red and orange flames dance.

"Are you here to punch me?" Damon asked without turning around. Elena practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. She inhaled deeply to compose herself before speaking.

"I'm actually here to apologize," she said, walking into the parlor. She stopped when she was in front of him and she looked down at him. The light of the fire danced across his cheekbones, illuminating his darkest and most defined features. Elena's breath caught in her throat. He was beautiful.

"Hmm," Damon responded. His blue eyes darted back to the fireplace. They were darker than usual, probably from the soft lighting.

"What I did was unjustified," Elena continued. Damon raised his eyes to meet hers. He could see the guilt and regret in her eyes and he knew that she meant her words. He softened immediately.

"I'm sorry too," Damon said. "I shouldn't have been there."

Elena sighed and shrugged.

"No, you shouldn't've," she agreed. "I probably shouldn't have hit you."

"It's not exactly a _new_ thing between us," he said sarcastically. Elena chuckled mirthlessly.

"No, I guess not," she paused, toying with the hem of her shirt. "I'm also sorry that I called you a monster."

"I am a monster, Elena," Damon insisted, meeting her eyes again. Elena furrowed her brow and subtly shook her head.

"I don't believe that," she said softly.

"Then you're an idiot."

"Maybe," Elena admitted with a shrug. "But I accused you of something you didn't do."

"Let's get something clear, Elena," Damon said, leaning forward and placing his glass on the coffee table. "I've done a lot of bad things in my existence. I've given you false dreams before; I've intruded your mind. And I intruded your mind last night, but I didn't give you that dream."

"I know," Elena whispered timidly, turning her eyes to the carpet.

"_That_ was all you, sweetheart," Damon continued. "And yes, I probably shouldn't have intruded your mind like that, but you cannot tell me that you don't have anything for me."

Damon was sick of sugarcoating it. He knew Elena had some feelings for him; he didn't know what they were, but they were there, and he wasn't going to rest until she came to terms with that.

Naturally, Damon expected her to throw his drink in his face, give him a good ear chewing, storm off upstairs, and wake Stefan. Instead, Elena nibbled on her bottom lip and crossed her arms. Her eyelashes fluttered up as she looked at him with the most innocent, coy expression he had ever seen on her.

"I know I have something for you, Damon," Elena whispered so softly that Damon had to lean in to catch it. His eyes widened. He really didn't expect that.

"What?" Damon asked with a furrowed brow. Elena shut her eyes and pressed her palm to her forehead.

"I'm with your brother, Damon!" Elena insisted. "I have something for you, yes, and it terrifies me because I know that it's more than just lust, but I'm still with Stefan." Elena inhaled deeply and sucked on her bottom lip, attempting to keep away the tears that threatened to overflow. Damon noticed how much this was bothering her and he was overcome with sympathy.

"Hey, hey," he said soothingly, "come here." He extended his hand. Elena stared at his palm for a while before finally giving in and taking it. Damon gently pulled her down to him and tucked her under his arm. Elena immediately fell to him and placed her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his scent overwhelm her.

"Nothing can come of this," Elena whispered weakly. Damon stroked her hair and pressed his cheek to the crown of her head.

"I know," he whispered, "at least, not yet."

Elena furrowed her brow, but Damon's continued comfort and strength immediately calmed her down and her eyelids began to feel heavy. She had an emotional couple of days, and she was exhausted.

Right before she fell asleep she remembered Damon's words: _not yet_, and for the first time, she seriously started to wonder: _when?_

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this update; I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know your thoughts in the reviews. It's unbelievably helpful! Thanks for reading!**


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